With a total capacity of the two hydropower plants of 3600MW – accounting for 6.1% of total nationwide installed generation capacity, these plants supply annually to the national power network about 12 billions kWh, accounting for 7% of the total national generation output of the power system.
On 11 October 2020, after ten year’s operation of Son La Hydropower Plant and four year’s operation of Lai Chau Hydropower Plant, Son La Hydropower Company has generated 100 billions kWh. This is a great honor and pride for Vietnam Electricity, Son La Hydropower Company in particular and the workers who have built and operated hydropower works in Vietnam in general. These large hydropower projects have recorded the remarkable maturity of staff, engineerers and workers in the power industry and machinery installation industry in Vietnam. These are the two multi-target hydropower plants of national stature that Vietnamese engineerers and workers have performed in autonomy different stages, from planning, design, installation, equipment synchronization, supervision, to operation and management. In the same time, both projects had been successfully completed ahead of schedule, especially the Son La Hydropower Plant was completed three years ahead of the deadline formulated by the resolution of the National Assembly of Vietnam.
Both these large hydropower projects play an important role in flood prevention in the rainy season, ensure water supply to the North Delta in the dry season, to waterway transport, power generation for the system and contributing to create dynamism for developing socio-economy in the North Delta region. With their special importance in many aspects, both hydropower plants are in the list of important works related to the national security. In addition, since putting Son La Hydropower Plant into operation, power generation of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant has increased at an average of 1.2 billions kWh each year.
Since its establishment, Son La Hydropower Company has always been the leading unit in term of value and contribution ratio to local budgets of Son La, Dien Bien, Lai Chau provinces and Vietnam Forest Development and Protection Fund, contributing significantly to the process of socio-economic development in the Northwest provinces. The total value paid to the state budget by the Son La Hydropower Company since its establishment is approximately VND17,000 billions, in which the value paid to the state budget by Son La Hydropwer Plant is approximately VND13,400 billons and by Lai Chau Hydropower Plant is approximately VND3,600 billions.