The Lai Chau hydropower plant is located in Nam Nhun district of the northwestern province of Lai Chau (Photo: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – The Lai Chau hydropower plant, amajor facility on the Da River, has been listed as an important work related tonational security.
The plant, located in Nam Nhun district of thenorthwestern province of Lai Chau, consists of three turbines with the totalcapacity of 1,200 MW, producing 4.67 billion kWh of electricity annually onaverage. Since its inauguration in late 2016, the plant has generated more than15.1 billion kWh to the national power system.
Duong Quang Thanh, Chairman of the MembersCouncil of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) group, said at a ceremony on August 12to announce the classification of the plant that aside from producingelectricity and helping prevent floods in the Red River Delta, the Lai Chauplant also has the function of regulating the flow of water to enhance thepower generation capacity of other cascade hydropower plants in the downstreamof Da River, namely the Son La and Hoa Binh plants.
However, its national importance and location ina remote, mountainous and border area have also made the Lai Chau plantvulnerable to security and safety risks and be the target of hostile forces andcriminal activities. Any incidents threatening its security and safety,especially the reservoir with the big water storage capacity, will directly andseriously affect other hydropower plants, along with economic facilities andcommunities, in downstream areas.
Due to its special importance to nationaldevelopment, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc issued Decision 419/QD-TTg inApril this year to classify the Lai Chau hydropower plant as one of theimportant works related to national security, Thanh noted.
The Prime Minister also assigned the Ministry ofPublic Security to coordinate with the ministries of industry and trade,finance and national defence, the Lai Chau provincial People’s Committee, theEVN and relevant agencies to make plans to protect the power facility.
So far, all the three cascade hydropower plantson the Da River, namely Hoa Binh, Son La and Lai Chau, have been recognised asimportant works related to national security.-VNA
VNA
