The New ‘Miracle’ of the Power Sector: An Imminent Achievement

Many veterans in the electricity industry recall the feat of the first 500 kV power line, nearly 1,500 km long, bringing electricity from the North to the South, completed 30 years ago when mentioning the 500 kV power line project, Quang Trach-Pho Noi, the third of its kind.

Despite superior human resources, technology, and experience compared to three decades ago, the construction of the power transmission line still faces many challenges, especially in land clearance.

The 500 kV power line, the third of its kind, Quang Trach-Pho Noi, is approximately 519 km long and passes through 211 communes and wards of 43 districts and towns in nine provinces, including Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong, and Hung Yen, occupying different types of land use. Each province has its own compensation policies and land clearance procedures.

According to Professor Tran Dinh Long, Vice President of the Vietnam Electricity Association and one of the key personnel of the first 500 kV power line project, the natural conditions during the construction of the third 500 kV power line, Quang Trach-Pho Noi, are less challenging than those during the construction of the first line. However, there are still many related issues, and each region has its own unique problems. For example, in mountainous areas or regions with less agricultural cultivation, land compensation and clearance may be more straightforward, but machinery transportation, material supply, construction, and wire pulling present greater challenges.

Another issue pointed out by experts before the component projects of the 500 kV power line, the third of its kind, were kicked off was the obstacles in land clearance related to the conversion of forest land use purposes. On this matter, after listening to the contributions of relevant agencies and experts, on March 6, 2024, the Government issued Decree No. 27/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 156/2018/ND-CP dated November 16, 2018, of the Government detailing the implementation of a number of articles of the Law on Forestry.

The new decree allows the temporary use of forest land for the construction of temporary works serving the construction of power grid projects for socio-economic development in the national and public interest in accordance with the laws on construction, electricity, and other relevant laws, without changing the purpose of forest land use.

In June 2024, the Government approved the compensation, support, and resettlement policy framework for component projects of the 500 kV power line project, the third of its kind, from Quang Trach to Pho Noi, including Quang Trach-Quynh Luu, Quynh Luu-Thanh Hoa, and Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant-Pho Noi. The Government also approved the compensation, support, and resettlement policy framework for the Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant-Thanh Hoa 500 kV Power Line Project.

Racing against the feat of completing the first 500 kV power line within two years, the project set a goal of finishing the third line within one-third of that time, or about eight months. The Thanh Hoa-Nam Dinh 1 500 kV Power Line Project (73 km long) was inaugurated on June 30, 2024, about eight months after its groundbreaking in late October 2023.

The remaining components, including the Quang Trach-Quynh Luu 500 kV Power Line Project (226 km long), the Quynh Luu-Thanh Hoa 500 kV Power Line Project (two circuits, 91 km long), and the Nam Dinh 1-Pho Noi 500 kV Power Line Project (123 km long), were all kicked off on January 18, 2024. If they are energized on the National Day, the construction will also take about eight months.

To achieve these results, the spirit of ‘only discussing how to do it, not whether to do it’ with the determination, unity, and effective participation of the political system at all levels, along with the efforts of ‘overcoming the sun and rain, not losing to the wind and storms’, and working in ‘three shifts and four groups’, ‘eating in a hurry, and sleeping in a hurry’ of the construction workers on the site, has been promoted to the fullest.

Construction teams from the electricity industry in localities such as Hanoi, Thua Thien-Hue, and Phu Yen are always ready to ‘pass the torch’ to the construction sites of the 500 kV power line, the third of its kind. Many workers have been working continuously for several months without returning home. Even some officials who are about to retire still volunteer to ‘reinforce’ this key national project.

The grand project of the 500 kV power line, the third of its kind, Quang Trach-Pho Noi, has also received close and active direction from the Government and the Prime Minister.

In addition to directly visiting the project site in Thai Binh (January 27, 2024), Quang Binh (June 2, 2024), and Nghe An (June 23, 2024), since April 2024, the Prime Minister has chaired a monthly meeting with ministries, branches, localities, and units on the implementation of the 500 kV power line project, the third of its kind, Quang Trach-Pho Noi.

At the meeting on August 13, 2024, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh stated that although the remaining workload is not large, it is the most challenging part. Therefore, agencies, units, localities, and forces must have higher determination, greater efforts, more drastic actions, and more focused and targeted approaches in the final sprint towards the goal of completing the project before September 2 and inaugurating it on the National Day this year.

According to expert Tran Dinh Long, the completion of the third power line will enhance the power transmission capacity from Central to Northern Vietnam, release the power capacity in Central Vietnam, mainly from renewable energy sources, and improve the power supply for the Northern region. The schedule set by Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh is a goal for the electricity industry to strive for, and the project should be completed as soon as possible.