The Son La Hydropower Plant, the largest project in Southeast Asia, isnot only the pride of the country but it also marks an outstandinggrowth of the electric sector of Vietnam today.
The plant wasofficially put into operation on December 23, 2012, after seven yearsof construction, three years earlier than scheduled.
Epic of the Northwest
TheSon La Hydropower Plant, dubbed a project of the century, is situatedin It Ong Commune, Muong La District of the northern mountainousprovince of Son La where the Da River runs. Few people know that nearly10 years ago, in the place where the plant is situated now there was PaVinh Hamlet with about 30 houses of the Thai ethnic people.
Forthose who have been a part of the “breath of the Da River” for almost10 years, this is a moment of joy and happiness. Over 20,000 householdsof the ethnic groups in Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau provinces havevoluntarily moved to other areas to live, leaving their land for theconstruction of the plant. Tens of thousands of workers and engineershave stuck to the construction site for seven years despite poor livingconditions and the harsh weather. The proudest fact is that all itemsof the project have been designed and built by Vietnamese engineers andworkers who have devoted all their mind and heart for the project.
Witha total investment of 60 trillion VND (approximately 2.85 billion USD),the Son La Hydropower Plant with a designed capacity of 2,400 MW andsix generators has been completed much earlier than scheduled, bringinghuge economic benefits. Every year it will create a turnover of 500million USD and save over five million tonnes of coal which will beneeded to produce an equivalent amount of electricity. Moreover, theplant will supply on average 10.2 billion kWh/year to the national grid.
Atthe time the Son La Hydropower Plant was inaugurated, its workers werepreparing to go to Lai Chau province for a new hydroelectric project.Before leaving, they paid tribute to their colleagues who had laid downtheir lives here for the electricity of the country. Hundreds ofworkers sat along the plant’s dam to pray for their souls and informthem about the early completion of the plant after more than 2,000 hardworking days.
Talking about the workers who had been part ofthis special project, Bui Phuong Nam, Head of the Technical Departmentof the Son La Plant Management Board said: “To have this project of thecentury, we have suffered sacrifices and losses. The requiem ceremonytoday is aimed to commemorate those who have devoted all of theirefforts, minds, blood and flesh to the Son La Hydropower Plant,contributing to creating an epic of the Da River.”
In hisspeech delivered to thousands of workers, engineers and local people atthe inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung warmlypraised the people in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces foryielding their land for the construction of the plant. He also praisedthe cadres and workers of the construction company who had made greatefforts to constructing the work.
The Son La Hydropower Plantcoming into operation not only contributes to solving the energyproblem of the country in the period of industrialisation andmodernisation, but also has a great economic, political and socialsignificance. The project has provided opportunities for thenorthwestern area to upgrade and rebuild its infrastructure, improvethe eco-environment, control floods, supply water for irrigation in thelow land, ensure security and defence in the northwest, arrange andstabilise the life of thousands of ethnic people in the mountainousareas, helping them develop their economy and improve their life.
Miracle of Vietnamese workers
Nghiem Cong Tan, Deputy Head of the Management Board’s TechnicalDepartment said proudly that perhaps, in the history of the electricitysector of Vietnam there has never been a hydroelectric project with somany “strange” factors as the Son La Hydropower Plant. To prepare forthe ceremony of breaking the ground and blocking the river on December2, 2005 as planned by the Party Central Committee, the entirecontingent of engineers and workers had to race against time as well asthe weather and the floods to complete a 500m-long bridge together with125km of roads, a system of nearly 200 km of 110-220KV electric lines,nearly 60,000sq.m of houses for thousands of workers and many otherfacilities, such as the flow-conducting systems and upstream anddownstream dykes. Such amount of initial work is worthily a miracle!
Accordingto Tan, over 16.6 million cubic metres of rocks and earth wereexcavated; over 20 million cubic metres of rocks and earth weretransported; millions of metres of earth for the foundation wererammed; nearly 6 million cubic metres of concrete were built; and115,000 tonnes of equipment were installed during the constructionprocess.
If the Son La hydroelectric project is like ablooming flower in the upstream area of the northwest, thehydroelectric dam is like the ‘soul’ of the plant.
To build thisdam, the engineers proposed to apply a construction method using theroller compacted concrete (RCC), an advanced technology of the worldthat Vietnam had never used to build a hydroelectric plant before. Atfirst, many people were worried and said the technology should not beused for an important project of the country like the Son La HydropowerPlant. Finally, after many debates, the use of the roller compactedconcrete technology was adopted. The Vietnamese specialists went tomany countries to learn about this technology, and at the same timeinvited the world’s leading experts to come to Vietnam . Then, theproduction lines of the modern roller compacted concretes were importedfrom Germany and Japan . After 32 months, the major dam of the projectwas complete with 2.7 million cubic metres of concrete and has becomethe largest dam in Southeast Asia . It is 961.6m long and 228.1m highand has a reserve capacity of over 9.26 billion cubic metres of water.
Withall their hearts and minds as well determination, bravery andsolidarity, the management, engineers and workers have joined theirefforts and complied with the regulations to put the six turbines intooperation ahead of schedule and ensure the required quality. Thesuccessful construction of the Son La Hydroelectric Plant showed thestrong growth of the hydroelectric sector in Vietnam in general and themechanical engineering sector in particular.-VNA
The plant wasofficially put into operation on December 23, 2012, after seven yearsof construction, three years earlier than scheduled.
Epic of the Northwest
TheSon La Hydropower Plant, dubbed a project of the century, is situatedin It Ong Commune, Muong La District of the northern mountainousprovince of Son La where the Da River runs. Few people know that nearly10 years ago, in the place where the plant is situated now there was PaVinh Hamlet with about 30 houses of the Thai ethnic people.
Forthose who have been a part of the “breath of the Da River” for almost10 years, this is a moment of joy and happiness. Over 20,000 householdsof the ethnic groups in Dien Bien, Son La and Lai Chau provinces havevoluntarily moved to other areas to live, leaving their land for theconstruction of the plant. Tens of thousands of workers and engineershave stuck to the construction site for seven years despite poor livingconditions and the harsh weather. The proudest fact is that all itemsof the project have been designed and built by Vietnamese engineers andworkers who have devoted all their mind and heart for the project.
Witha total investment of 60 trillion VND (approximately 2.85 billion USD),the Son La Hydropower Plant with a designed capacity of 2,400 MW andsix generators has been completed much earlier than scheduled, bringinghuge economic benefits. Every year it will create a turnover of 500million USD and save over five million tonnes of coal which will beneeded to produce an equivalent amount of electricity. Moreover, theplant will supply on average 10.2 billion kWh/year to the national grid.
Atthe time the Son La Hydropower Plant was inaugurated, its workers werepreparing to go to Lai Chau province for a new hydroelectric project.Before leaving, they paid tribute to their colleagues who had laid downtheir lives here for the electricity of the country. Hundreds ofworkers sat along the plant’s dam to pray for their souls and informthem about the early completion of the plant after more than 2,000 hardworking days.
Talking about the workers who had been part ofthis special project, Bui Phuong Nam, Head of the Technical Departmentof the Son La Plant Management Board said: “To have this project of thecentury, we have suffered sacrifices and losses. The requiem ceremonytoday is aimed to commemorate those who have devoted all of theirefforts, minds, blood and flesh to the Son La Hydropower Plant,contributing to creating an epic of the Da River.”
In hisspeech delivered to thousands of workers, engineers and local people atthe inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung warmlypraised the people in Son La, Dien Bien and Lai Chau provinces foryielding their land for the construction of the plant. He also praisedthe cadres and workers of the construction company who had made greatefforts to constructing the work.
The Son La Hydropower Plantcoming into operation not only contributes to solving the energyproblem of the country in the period of industrialisation andmodernisation, but also has a great economic, political and socialsignificance. The project has provided opportunities for thenorthwestern area to upgrade and rebuild its infrastructure, improvethe eco-environment, control floods, supply water for irrigation in thelow land, ensure security and defence in the northwest, arrange andstabilise the life of thousands of ethnic people in the mountainousareas, helping them develop their economy and improve their life.
Miracle of Vietnamese workers
Nghiem Cong Tan, Deputy Head of the Management Board’s TechnicalDepartment said proudly that perhaps, in the history of the electricitysector of Vietnam there has never been a hydroelectric project with somany “strange” factors as the Son La Hydropower Plant. To prepare forthe ceremony of breaking the ground and blocking the river on December2, 2005 as planned by the Party Central Committee, the entirecontingent of engineers and workers had to race against time as well asthe weather and the floods to complete a 500m-long bridge together with125km of roads, a system of nearly 200 km of 110-220KV electric lines,nearly 60,000sq.m of houses for thousands of workers and many otherfacilities, such as the flow-conducting systems and upstream anddownstream dykes. Such amount of initial work is worthily a miracle!
Accordingto Tan, over 16.6 million cubic metres of rocks and earth wereexcavated; over 20 million cubic metres of rocks and earth weretransported; millions of metres of earth for the foundation wererammed; nearly 6 million cubic metres of concrete were built; and115,000 tonnes of equipment were installed during the constructionprocess.
If the Son La hydroelectric project is like ablooming flower in the upstream area of the northwest, thehydroelectric dam is like the ‘soul’ of the plant.
To build thisdam, the engineers proposed to apply a construction method using theroller compacted concrete (RCC), an advanced technology of the worldthat Vietnam had never used to build a hydroelectric plant before. Atfirst, many people were worried and said the technology should not beused for an important project of the country like the Son La HydropowerPlant. Finally, after many debates, the use of the roller compactedconcrete technology was adopted. The Vietnamese specialists went tomany countries to learn about this technology, and at the same timeinvited the world’s leading experts to come to Vietnam . Then, theproduction lines of the modern roller compacted concretes were importedfrom Germany and Japan . After 32 months, the major dam of the projectwas complete with 2.7 million cubic metres of concrete and has becomethe largest dam in Southeast Asia . It is 961.6m long and 228.1m highand has a reserve capacity of over 9.26 billion cubic metres of water.
Withall their hearts and minds as well determination, bravery andsolidarity, the management, engineers and workers have joined theirefforts and complied with the regulations to put the six turbines intooperation ahead of schedule and ensure the required quality. Thesuccessful construction of the Son La Hydroelectric Plant showed thestrong growth of the hydroelectric sector in Vietnam in general and themechanical engineering sector in particular.-VNA
