The conference was organized in a direct and online format with the main video point at EVN headquarters (Hanoi) and online connections to 9 points in 9 provinces where the project passes through.

Comrade Pham Minh Chinh - Politburo member and Prime Minister attended and directed the conference at the main bridge.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and delegates attending conference

The 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 project was assigned by EVN to EVNNPT as the investor, with a total length of 519km, 1,177 pole locations, and 513 spans, passing through 211 communes/wards of 43 districts in 9 provinces with a total investment of more than VND 22,300 billion. The 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 is a key, urgent project, of great significance to improve the stability of the power system operation and increase power supply to the North in 2024 and the following years, contributing to ensuring national energy security.

Spirit of overcoming difficulties "barefoot, steel-willed"

During the construction process, EVN/EVNNPT and the construction units at the construction site encountered countless difficulties and challenges that seemed impossible to overcome.

The 4 component projects of the 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 stretch from the Northern Delta to the Central region, passing through all types of terrain. The construction period takes place during seasons with unfavorable weather conditions. The route terrain has many locations through ponds, swamps, high hills, and dense forests. The road to the pole foundation locations is long, steep, and dangerous. Many locations have to build dozens of kilometers of temporary roads to reach the pole foundation locations. During the construction process, when it rains and is slippery, it is very difficult to transport construction materials and equipment.

In addition, the projects’ implementation encountered difficulties in mobilizing large-capacity pile driving/pressing machines. The project progress was extremely urgent, having to simultaneously construct 239/1,177 pile foundation locations within 70 days, leading to a local shortage of machines. Along with that, there were difficulties in processing steel poles. The total weight of steel poles to be processed was 139,000 tons while the domestic production volume is 114,000 tons. Due to the need to purchase materials and complete processing in a very short time (about 3 months), it has exceeded the normal production capacity of domestic production units. The Government, ministries, and EVN/EVNNPT have inspected and urged production units to implement many solutions to remove difficulties, speed up processing progress, and provide steel poles to meet the construction progress at the construction site.

Another challenge during the construction process is to simultaneously erect poles and pull wires along the entire route, requiring the mobilization of 10,000 to 12,000 skilled and healthy workers to work at high altitudes, with high intensity, continuously for many days in harsh weather conditions. In fact, the human resources of contractors only meet about 50% of the requirement, EVN has to mobilize the 50% left from units in the Group and from other groups to strengthen the construction work.

With the attention and direction of the Prime Minister, ministries, branches, and provincial People's Committees, EVN/EVNNPT has had many prompt solutions in management, solidarity, and creativity with contractors to complete the projects on schedule.

Delegates attending conference to summarize construction investment of 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 project

Miracle of transmission line, circuit 3

Under the drastic direction of the Prime Minister and the Government, the attention and support of ministries, branches, localities, and people, EVN/EVNNPT has determined and made efforts to complete the energization of the 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 projects after more than 6 months of construction. The completion of the project on the assigned schedule is an outstanding achievement that has been commended by the Prime Minister, along with the recognition of ministries, branches, localities, and people.

Regarding investment preparation, the time for preparing and submitting investment policies/adjusting investment policies is only nearly 5 months. This is a record short time compared to that of similar scale projects, shortened by 1.5 - 2 years. The Prime Minister approved the investment policies along with the conversion of forest use purposes in Decisions No. 1241 dated October 24, 2023, No. 1507 and 1508 dated December 1, 2023, and No. 1587/QD-TTg dated December 8, 2023, for 4 component projects: the 500kV transmission line of Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant (TPP) - Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh I TPP - Pho Noi, Quang Trach - Quynh Luu, and Quynh Luu - Thanh Hoa.

Regarding contractor selection, the projects have a total of 226 bidding packages. EVN/EVNNPT and project management boards have mobilized all human resources with expertise and experience in organizing bid evaluation to work day and night, without days off. As a result, the contractor selection was completed in about 60 days. The Government's permission to carry out parallel work such as organizing contractor selection in advance for some bid packages has contributed to speeding up project progress.

Regarding the conversion of forest use purposes and impacts on forests, immediately after the Prime Minister approved the forest use purposes converting policy, the investor promptly coordinated with local authorities of Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, and Thanh Hoa provinces to implement procedures for converting forest use purposes for pole foundation locations. As a result, all procedures for converting forest use purposes have been completed to hand over the site in sync with the project’s construction progress.

Regarding impacts on forests to open temporary construction roads, at the project implementation time, the investor encountered difficulties due to the lack of legal regulations guiding the implementation procedures. With the attention of the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, on March 6, 2024, the Government issued Decree No. 27/2024/ND-CP amending and supplementing a number of articles of Decree No. 156/ND-CP dated November 16, 2018. By March 25, 2024, about three weeks after Decree 27 was issued, the final foundation location in the natural forest had completed the construction road paving to deploy foundation excavation and casting.

Regarding compensation and site clearance, in fact, the project stretches 9 provinces with a large area of ​​compensation and site clearance, with a total land acquisition area of ​​about 183 hectares, 5,248 households and 96 organizations affected, and 167 households having to relocate and resettle. With the strong direction of the Prime Minister, ministries, and branches, the participation of local authorities of 9 provinces, and the consensus and support of the people, by March 8, 2024, the handover of the site for 1,177/1,177 foundation locations was completed, and on June 17, 2024, the route corridor for 513/513 spans was completed. The record-fast site clearance progress is one of the important factors contributing to the success of the projects.

Regarding construction work, EVN/EVNNPT, the project management boards have coordinated with steel pole suppliers and construction contractors to focus all resources, strive to overcome all difficulties, and organize production and construction according to the direction of the Prime Minister with the motto "3 shifts, 4 crews", "overcoming the sun and the rain", "work through holidays, Tet, and days off".

500kV transmission line, circuit 3 project energized after more than 6 months of construction. Photo source: EVN Communications Department

As a result, after more than 6 months of construction, the component projects were successively energized. The 500kV transmission line of Nam Dinh I TPP - Thanh Hoa and the synchronous projects of Thanh Hoa 500kV substation, the bay expansion at Quang Trach and Pho Noi 500kV substations were energized on June 30, 2024. The two 500kV transmission line projects of Nam Dinh I TPP - Pho Noi and Quynh Luu - Thanh Hoa were energized on August 19, 2024. The last project of Quang Trach - Quynh Luu 500kV transmission line was energized on August 27, 2024.

The 500kV transmission line, circuit 3 from Quang Trach (Quang Binh) to Pho Noi (Hung Yen) was energized and inaugurated on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the August Revolution and National Day September 2, according to the assigned schedule.

Thus, up to now, our country has had 4 500kV transmission lines from North to South along the country’s length. Of which, the North-South 500kV transmission line circuit 1 was energized and put into operation on May 27, 1994, the 500kV transmission line circuit 2 was put into operation on September 23, 2005, and on August 27, 2024, the final sections of the two circuit 500kV transmission lines circuit 3 were completed and put into operation.

Translator: Thu Hường