Reporting at the meeting, Mr. Bui Phuong Nam, Director of Power Project Management Unit 1 - the unit assigned by EVN to manage and operate the 220kV Nam Mo - Tuong Duong transmission line project (the section crossing the territory of Vietnam) said: The project has been approved by the Prime Minister for implementing the construction in Document No. 1490/TTg-CN dated 5 November 2019 on the policy of power import and the plan to connect the cluster of Nam Mo hydropower plants (Laos). Accordingly, a new 220kV dual-circuit transmission line of Nam Mo (Laos) - Tuong Duong (the section in the territory of Vietnam of about 45km long), operating in 2022, will be built.
Power Project Management Board No. 1 (PMB1) discussed the option of the line and connection point on the border between the two countries with Phongsubthavy Group - the investor of the Nam Mo - Tuong Duong 220kV transmission line project (section in the territory of Laos). On 1 April 2020, the two sides signed a memorandum of understanding at the border connection point. On 17 May 2020, Phongsubthavy Group issued a written notice on the project implementation progress in accordance with the previously agreed schedule.
The field mission reviewing the progress of the 220kV Nam Mo (Laos) - Tuong Duong (Nghe An) lines at point G1. Photo source: Industry and Trade newspaper
The goal of the Board is, in September 2020, to submit the basic design to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for appraisal, it is expected that the Feasibility Study Report will be approved in December 2020. The work shall be commenced in November 2021 and accepted, handed over and put into use in the second quarter of 2022.
Currently, the project is facing a number of difficulties and obstacles in the process of performing investment preparation procedures and policy on conversion of forest use purposes. Therefore, it is suggested that the People's Committee of Nghe An province, the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, the People's Committees of Ky Son and Tuong Duong districts should soon include the project to the planning and plan of land use in the locality.
The PMB1 requested the province and relevant departments to guide in the conversion of forest land use purposes, compensation and site clearance.
Speaking at the meeting with Departments, branches and localities in Nghe An province, Mr. Nguyen Thai Son - Chief of Office of the National Steering Committee for Electricity Development said: Forecast of power supply in the period of 2021 - 2025 will be more difficult. Importing power from Laos is one of the suitable solutions to meet the power demand in the immediate and medium term, especially for Nghe An. In recent years, EVN and related units have made great efforts to speed up the preparation of investment in the construction of transmission grids to import power from Laos. The supplementation of 220kV projects to serve power import into local land use plannings and plans, proposing the Government to apply for a policy on conversion of forest use purposes, etc., in order to urgently complete the investment preparation procedures, speeding up the implementation progress of investment projects.
Mr. Son also asked EVN to strengthen working with power investors in Laos to urgently achieve the target of buying power from this country to reach 3,000MW by 2025 and 5,000MW by 2030 with the electricity price frame approved by the Prime Minister. Continue to coordinate with Lao investors to research suitable connection plans for power source projects, coordinate with Lao partners in research and development projects including thermopower, hydropower, renewable energy imported to Vietnam. Urgently complete the plan to connect the overall power system of the two countries Vietnam - Laos until 2030.
In addition to the Nam Mo - Tuong Duong 220kV transmission line, in order to serve the import of power from Laos, it is also necessary to build transformer stations and the connection line system such as: Tuong Duong 220kV substation and connection lines, Nam Cam 220kV and connection lines, Tuong Duong - Do Luong 220kV substation, Do Luong - Nam Cam 220kV transmission line.