A private company in the northern province of Thai Nguyen will invest 2 trillion VND in building a thermo-electric power plant in the locality, making it the largest locally-invested project in Thai Nguyen so far.

On August 6, the provincial authorities handed over an investment licence to the investor - the An Khanh Thermo-electric Power Joint Stock Company.

According to the company, the 100 MW An Khanh thermo-electric power plant will be built on 22.7 ha in Dai Tu district’s An Khanh commune.

The plant will use locally-available coal and it is expected to generate jobs for 400 residents.

The investor said it will kick off construction of the An Khanh plant in early 2010, aiming to generate power for the national electricity grid by 2012.

The An Khanh plant is the second thermo-electric power plant in Thai Nguyen. The first was the Cao Ngan plant of the Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group which began operating in 2007./.