More than 1,000 locals in Ngoc Vung island commune, the northernprovince of Quang Ninh, are excited at having daylong electricity forthe first time as a project to connect island localities to the nationalpower grid is finishing by late 2014.
The 40-square kilometer island with 3km-long untouched beaches is 45 kilometres from the mainland of Van Don district.
According to Nguyen Thi Phuong, Vice Chairwoman of the Ngoc Vungcommunal People’s Committee, electricity access is expected to help theresidents develop household economy since they mainly engage in farmingand offshore fishing, earning an average per capita income of 50 millionVND (2,350 USD) per year.
Currently, Ngoc Vunglocals have power for three-hour use a day, which are generated bydiesel-fuelled generators and solar heating.
The 300billion VND (14.1 million USD) project, once completed in late 2014 asplanned by the Quang Ninh Power Company, the Electricity of Vietnam andthe Northern Power Corporation, will bring power to 2,568 households inNgoc Vung, Quan Lan, Ban Sen, Minh Chau and Thang Loi communes, of VanDon district.
It is part of a plan to make the VanDon special administrative-economic zone a dynamic island area of QuangNinh, contributing to the protection of national security-defence andsovereignty in the country’s Northeastern sea.
According to Phung Kim Dai, Quang Ninh Power Company Vice Director,works on 80 percent of the project has finished despite difficulties intransportation of necessary facilities at sea, which include a giantnumber of 1,500 low voltage and nearly 800 98-meter-tall middle voltagepoles.
In 2015-16, the rest island communes of QuangNinh - Cai Chien and Tran – will be connected to the national powergrid, he said.
The Quang Ninh Power Company has to date brought power to 99.8 percent of Quang Ninh’s households.
It is working on a 150 billion VND (7.05 million USD) project to helpthe rest of 0.2 percent, or 1,800 households, use power in the nearfuture.-VNA