A ceremony marking the 20th anniversary of Circuit 1 of theNorth-South 500kV power transmission line was held in Hanoi on May 27.
Addressing the event, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said thetwo-year construction of the first extra-high voltage line was one ofthe finest achievements of Vietnam’s electricity sector, adding momentumto the ongoing development of the national system.
Hai stressedthe line had basically tackled a serious shortage of electricity for thecentral and southern regions in the early 1990s, because power plantsin the south met only 89.73 percent of the demand for energy then.
The line’s Circuit 1, put into operation in 1994, has contributedgreatly to national socio-economic development. It has helped raise thecountry’s GDP growth to 9.5 percent in 1995 from 5.1 percent in 1990,while industrial production saw annual rises of 12-14 percent in thefive-year period.
Mentioning the electricity sector’s possiblefuture challenges, Hai requested the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) toheighten the competitive edge of the domestic electricity market andattract more investment to expanding the national grid.
Under theplan, an annual capital of 17 trillion VND (799 million USD) will bepoured into developing the system in the 2014-2020 period, he noted,suggesting the EVN continue to learn from foreign partners’ experiencein constructing and developing a grid at a low cost.
Circuit 1,together with Circuit 2 that was put into operation in 2005, is abackbone of the national power transmission system and helps improve thequality and supply of electricity, EVN Chairman Hoang Quoc Vuong said.
Since their operation, both circuits have transmitted more than 12 billion kWh per year.
On May 5, the Pleiku-My Phuoc- Cau Bong 550kV transmission line,considered as Circuit 3 of the North-South 500kV extra-high voltageline, was connected to the national power grid in order to ensure theelectricity supply in this year’s dry season and the southern region’sdemand for the power in the years to come.-VNA