Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai gave the nod to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to continue the implementation of the project to connect ethnic households in northern mountainous Son La province to national grid, expected to increase its population with electricity access to 86 percent by the end of this year.

Meanwhile, the provincial People’s Committee was asked to provide sufficient funds and ensure land clearance for the project.

The project worth 557 billion VND (25.5 million USD) was approved by the Government in 2009 to provide access to the national power grid for 30,157 households in 557 villages of 106 communes.

It was scheduled to be carried out between 2010 and 2015.

Under the project, over 20,960 local households in 337 villages of 70 communes have to date gained access to the national grid whilst 303 kilometres of medium-voltage power lines, 531 kilometres of 0.4kV power lines and 141 substations were built.

However, due to the hike in material and labour costs, about 80 percent of the project or 22,617 households benefit from the project when it finishes by the second quarter of this year.-VNA