As many as 80 MW of electricity has been added to the national grid as the first turbine of the Mong Duong 1 thermo power plant was successfully connected to the grid, according to the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

At present, the contractor - Huyndai Engineering & Construction Co. Ltd of the Republic of Korea is conducting necessary tests for the official operation of the turbine in the second quarter of this year.

Located in Mong Duong ward, Cam Pha city, northern Quang Ninh province, the 33.6 trillion VND (1.7 billion USD power plant is designed to have two turbines with a combined capacity of 1,080 MW. Its second turbine is expected to be completed in October 2015.

Once operational, the coal-fueled plant, using the Circulating Fluidized Bed Boiler (CFP) technology, will generate about 5.8 billion kWh per year.

It is hoped to boost the socio-economic development of Vietnam’s northeastern key economic region in 2015 and following years while easing the electricity system’s dependence on hydropower sources, especially during the dry season.-VNA