Transmission projects worth $585 mln to ease northern Vietnam power shortages

The Vietnamese government has approved plans to build two 500-kilovolt transmission grids worth a combined VND14.23 trillion ($585 million) to ease power shortages in the northern region.

These are two component projects of a national project to transmit power from Quang Trach district in the central province of Quang Binh to Pho Noi in the northern province of Hung Yen.

Of the two, the 225.5 km long Quang Trach-Quynh Luu transmission line will be built at an estimated cost of VND10.11 trillion ($416 million). The other, running 91.8 km from Quynh Luu district in Nghe An province to Thanh Hoa province is estimated to cost VND4.12 trillion ($169.4 million).

The National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), executor of the projects, expects to finish them by June next year.

The lines will transfer power from the central region, a renewable energy hub in the country, to the power-hungry northern region. They will also ease the load on the existing 500kV transmission line and stabilize power supply between the two regions.

The northern region, home to the biggest hydropower plants in the country, suffered severe shortages late May and early June this year, leading to power shredding that affected millions of households and thousands of factories.

To ensure power supply for this region, which houses a large number of industrial parks, more coal was burnt and more power bought from China and Laos.