Activating the 500kV Power Line: Illuminating the Quảng Trạch – Quỳnh Lưu Route

The 500kV Quang Trach – Quynh Luu power line project is a 226 km long transmission line that passes through the provinces of Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, and Nghe An. The project involves 463 pole foundations, 237 of which are located on mountains, traversing challenging terrain with 197 line anchor spans, including 7 river and lake crossings and 15 national highway crossings. Construction commenced on January 18, 2024, and the investor’s acceptance council met on August 24, 2024, agreeing to energize the line.

Following the directives of the Prime Minister, the power line had to be completed in time to commemorate the 79th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day on September 2nd.

Once completed, the project will help relieve and prevent overload on existing 500kV power lines, ensuring N-1 criteria, especially when the transmission capacity is high according to the Central – North interface during periods of low hydropower generation in the North. The transmission line will also improve transmission stability on the Central – North interface, in conjunction with the 500kV Quynh Luu – Thanh Hoa – Nam Dinh I – Pho Noi segments and the completed 500kV Pleiku 2 – Doc Soi – Quang Trach line, facilitating the integration of power sources from the South-Central region to the load center in the North.

Throughout its implementation, the project has received great attention and guidance from the Prime Minister, ministries, sectors, and leaders of the Vietnam Electricity group. It has also been supported by local authorities along the route and the unanimous cooperation of the people who generously gave up their land for the project and actively participated in the construction phase of foundation excavation and casting.

According to EVNNPT leaders, while there were favorable factors, the project also faced challenges in mobilizing machinery and construction equipment simultaneously along the entire route. The terrain presented difficulties with many locations on high hills and mountains, making access to the pole foundations challenging, especially during rainy weather when the roads became slippery and treacherous. Unfavorable weather conditions, including frequent storms, extreme heat, and the occurrence of lightning, often led to work suspensions to ensure the safety of the workforce and project equipment. There were also challenges in mobilizing labor for pole erection and wire pulling due to the tight schedule, short construction period, and large simultaneous erection and wire-pulling volumes of the project.

Additionally, the massive volume of steel poles, coupled with the tight deadline, required EVNNPT, CPMB, and the contractors to concentrate their efforts and implement specific solutions to expedite production.

Following the Prime Minister’s directive with the spirit of “only discussing how to do it, not how to retreat,” “overcoming the sun, winning against the rain, and not losing to the wind and storms,” and working in “3 shifts, 4 teams,” “eating hastily, and sleeping urgently,” the engineers and workers of the participating units approached the project with the highest sense of responsibility and dedication to ensure its timely completion.

The leadership of EVNNPT shared that to meet the deadline set by the Prime Minister, multiple tasks had to be carried out simultaneously, including construction, pole erection, wire pulling, installation of positioning frames, and technical adjustments. In addition to the main contractors, a large number of skilled and experienced technical personnel from EVNNPT and the 5 Power Corporations were mobilized to provide support.

Given the project’s significance, not only to EVNNPT but also to the power units of EVN and other partner units, everyone demonstrated a strong sense of responsibility and enthusiasm in providing assistance. EVNNPT also received support in terms of labor from the army, Viettel Group, Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, and Vietnam Post and Telecommunications Group, who participated in pole erection and wire pulling for the project.

The successful completion and energization of the project is a testament to the fulfillment of the Prime Minister’s directives and serves as a significant motivation for the entire 500kV power line project team to strive for the completion, acceptance, and inauguration of the 500kV power line in the coming days, as per the Prime Minister’s instructions.

The 500kV Quang Trach – Quynh Luu power line project is the final component of the 500kV power line project to be completed. Previously, EVNNPT had successfully energized the 500kV Thanh Hoa substation on June 28, 2024, the 500kV Nam Dinh 1 – Thanh Hoa power line project on June 30, 2024, and the 500kV Quynh Luu – Thanh Hoa and Nam Dinh 1 – Pho Noi power line projects on August 19, 2024.