The connection to the national electricity grid via an undersea cable line is expected to contribute to local economic growth in the island district of Ly Son in central Quang Ngai province and provide opportunities for residents to promote tourism.

Inaugurated on September 28, the submarine power transmission cable line was built at a cost of 652 billion VND (31 million USD). It comprises a 26.2km-long section running under sea and an 8.7km-long section on ground in Binh Son district.

Previously, residents in Ly Son were only able to use electricity for six hours per day, Secretary of the District Party Committee Nguyen Thanh said. With the new stable power supply, he outlined fishery services, seafood processing and tourism as the main directions for the island’s economic development in the time ahead.

According to Thanh, to make Ly Son a popular domestic tourism destination in the future, local authorities are working to attract infrastructure investment, promote home-stays and spiritual tourism, and integrate environmental protection into socio-economic development plans.

Many households on the island are hurried to purchase electric home appliances and some plan to add to their income by catering to tourists.

Fifteen nautical miles from land, Ly Son, covering 10km2, is home to more than 22,000 islanders.

It is located on the sea route between the north and south of Vietnam, at the gateway of Quang Ngai’s Dung Quat Economic Zone.

Due to its geographical location, Ly Son is well suited to boost socio-economic development and act as a crucial vanguard to protect Vietnam’s sea sovereignty.

The undersea cable line to Ly Son district is part of a government’s resolutioin which aims to have 100 percent of islanders connected to the grid by 2020, paving the way for socio-economic development and the guarantee of national sovereignty over seas and islands.-VNA