(10-04-2009)

Nhon Trach 1 Power Plant, which has a capacity of 450MW, started providing power last year. Costruction of Nhon Trach Gas-Fired Plant 2 will be completed within 30 months. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc H

HA NOI — Construction of two power plants with a combined electrical capacity of 1,950MW is scheduled to begin this month according to contracts signed here yesterday.

The projects are the 1,200MW Vung Ang coal-fired power plant in central Ha Tinh Province and the 750MW Nhon Trach gas – fired plant in the southern province of Dong Nai.

Contract signatories were the Viet Nam National Oil and Gas Group (PetroVietnam); the Viet Nam Machine Installation Corporation (Lilama); the Nhon Trach Power, Oil and Gas Joint Stock Company 2 and the Petro Construction Corporation.

Under the contract, State-owned Lilama will complete construction of the Vung Ang plant within 45 months. The first generator is expected to begin operation in August 2012, and the second in March 2013.

Lilama general director Pham Hung said the US$1.17 billion  project  will supply 6.1 billion kWh of electricity per year.

"Prior to Vung Ang, we have been contractors for building Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) and PetroVietnam projects, through which Lilama gained a lot of experience. Being a contractor in such a large-scale project proves the great strides our corporation has made in the 10-year development strategy," Hung said.

Vung Ang power plant will be located in Ha Tinh Province’s Ky Anh District, the proposed site for a $3 billion steel refinery with a capacity of 4.5 billion tonnes per year, for which the Government is currently seeking both domestic and foreign investment.

The establishment of Viet Nam’s largest coal-fired power plant would energise Ha Tinh’s economic development and pave the way for the nation’s largest iron ore mining and steel refinery project, said Vo Kim Cu, vice chairman of the Ha Tinh People’s Committee and director of the Vung Ang Economic Zone Management Board.

The plant would provide jobs for more than 7,000 people, 60 per cent of them from Ha Tinh, Cu said, adding that the agriculture-based province would evolve to more industrial and service activities.

Meanwhile, Lilama and the Oil and Gas Construction Corporation will build the Nhon Trach Gas-Fired Plant 2 at a cost of $524million. Construction will be completed in 30 months. The first gas turbine will start working in 22 months and the second, in 23 months. The plant will provide 4.5 billion kWh of electricity a year, helping to respond to the country’s increasing demands for electricity. Nhon Trach 2 is an independent power producer, with PetroVietnam as the largest shareholder of 51.8 per cent. — VNS