Electricity output at the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant hit 250 billion kWh at 2.05am on May 25. (Photo: VNA) Work on the 1,920MW plant, one of the largestof its kind in Southeast Asia, began in 1979 and it was put into full operationin 1994.
In the decades since, the plant has been seenas a symbol of not only the sustainable friendship between Vietnam and theformer Soviet Union (now Russia) but also of the domestic electricity sector.
Covering an area of 99.62 ha in Hoa Binh city, theexpanded project received investment from Vietnam Electricity (EVN) totallingover 9.22 trillion VND (398.9 million USD), 30 percent of which was arranged byEVN and the remainder from commercial loans without a government guarantee.
It comprises two turbines with a total capacityof 480MW and electricity output of about 488.3 million kWh per year.
Director of the Hoa Binh Hydropower CompanyNguyen Van Minh said the plant’s annual output was previously equal to its designedcapacity of around 8.16 billion kWh, meeting demand in the northern region andpart of the southern region’s demand and contributing to addressing powershortages in the latter at that time.
Since 2010, output has reached 10 billion kWhper year, 24.2 percent above the designed output, with a record set in 2017 of 11.25billion kWh.
Along with ensuring energy security, in recentyears the company has contributed 1-1.4 trillion VND (43.5-60.9 million USD) eachyear to Hoa Binh’s provincial budget and 300-450 billion VND in naturalresources taxes to neighbouring Son La province./.
VNA
