Over 15 years of implementation, the rural electrification programme has achieved impresive progress, said the Vietnam Business Forum Magazine (VBF).

The programme has been developed in poor rural areas, mountainous areas and islands and at the same time, gradually upgraded the grid to ensure the safety of power supply for the demand of socio-economic development.

At the online conference reviewing 15 years of rural electrification (1998-2013 period) organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in Hanoi, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said: “In 2013, 97 percent of rural households were provided power, which had enormous meaning."

Victoria Kwakwa, Country Director of the World Bank in Vietnam said that Vietnam's success in the field of electrification has been recognised worldwide and that many countries wish to learn experience from Vietnam. At the same time, the World Bank is committed to continuing to support Vietnam through the provision of infrastructure investment, contributing to the implementation of electrification programme in 2014-2020 period.

Minister of Industry and Trade Vu Huy Hoang said the total investment capital of the country for rural power grid was over 48 trillion VND. The success of the rural electrification stems from the right policies and directions of the Party and State; the proper coordination of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and the support of international organisations.

Some typical projects of rural electrification include the power supply project for five provinces without electricity in the Central Highlands. The project was implemented from 2006 to 2009 with a total investment capital of 1,300 billion VND supplying power to 1,331 villages and 116,000 households.

Along with the use of power sources for communes, villages and households without electricity on land, with the aim of ensuring security for island districts of the country, a series of power supply projects from the national grid through underground cables have been implemented including the power transmission project to Co To Island district which had a total investment capital of nearly 1,106 billion VND and was carried out in 2 years of 2012 and 2013, providing electricity to over 1,600 households.

At the conference, Chairman of the Board of Members of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) Hoang Quoc Vuong said that in the upcoming time, EVN will continue to enhance supplying capacity; ensure electricity quality serving conversion; and develop new models in agricultural production.

It will also implement new rural programme of the Party and government through investment in upgrading and repairing medium and low voltage grid at 7,000 rural communes, which will help improve the quality of power supply and reduce power losses, with the investment capital of about 2 billion USD.-VNA