Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant Pride of the Century Construction

Since construction started on November 6, 1979, Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant has become a symbol of Vietnam's electricity industry in general and Hoa Binh province in particular. During 30 years of re-establishing the province, the project is like a proud mark, a brilliant milestone in the epic song of conquering the Da River, contributing to the construction and development of the homeland and the country.

Making important contributions to the country’s industrialization and modernization

Hoa Binh hydropower plant was built at Hoa Binh Lake, on Da River. Before the inauguration of Son La hydropower plant, it was the largest hydropower plant in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. The project was designed with multiple purposes, including managing Da River water, preventing floods and reducing natural disasters, ensuring safety for the Northern Delta and Hanoi; producing electricity to serve both the country's socio-economic development and the people's daily life.

With the help of the Soviet Union, the plant was completed in 1994 with 8 operating units (a total capacity of 1,920 MW), which basically solved the shortage of electricity; it was the main source of electricity of Vietnam's electricity industry in the 90s of the 20th century. After more than 30 years of operation, by 2022, the plant has provided the country with a total output of over 250 billion kWh.

In particular, the plant plays an important role in supplying water to combat drought for agricultural production in the Northern Delta provinces, improving water traffic on Da River and Red River, and increasing water sources to serve the livelihood and other productive activities. The amount of water discharged from Hoa Binh Lake for agricultural production of many provinces and cities in the Northern Delta accounts for 65-70% of the total discharge from all large hydropower reservoirs in the North, helping waterway vessels on Da River and Red River circulate easily.

Over the years, Hoa Binh Hydropower Company has contributed significantly to the state and local budgets (VND1,000 - 1,400 billion/year). Thereby, it has made practical contributions to the socio-economic development and the industrialization and modernization of the country in general and Hoa Binh province in particular. Since the project started, the locality has really changed. From a poor province in the Northwestern region, Hoa Binh has now become an attractive tourist destination for the whole country and foreign tourists.

On January 20, 2017, the Prime Minister signed Decision 99/QD-TTg putting Hoa Binh hydropower plant on the list of important constructions related to national security. In July 2018, Hoa Binh hydropower plant was honored in the program of "Vietnam's Glory - Imprint of constructions", becoming a great pride in the extraordinary will and energy of electricity workers.

Continuing to light the "power source" on Da River

In order to take advantage of the precious water resources of the hydropower reservoirs on the upstream, create a new energy source to contribute to the development of the country, in early 2021, the Hoa Binh hydropower plant expansion project was officially started. This is an industrial project of group A that has been approved by the Prime Minister for the pre-feasibility study report, invested by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and assigned to Power Project Management Board 1 as the representative of the investor.

The project has a total investment of VND9,220.83 billion, with a capacity of 480 MW, bringing the total capacity of the entire Hoa Binh hydropower plant to 2.400MW, equivalent to the capacity of Son La hydropower plant. The average annual electricity output will be 479 million kWh/year (in flood season) and it will increase the peak hour power mobilization capacity of the existing Hoa Binh hydropower plant in the dry season by about 264.4 million kWh/year.

When completed, the project will increase the peak capacity of electricity generation for the national power system, creating conditions for maximum exploitation of the annual excess water discharged in the flood season of the current Hoa Binh hydropower plant to generate electricity. The project will also contribute to improving the frequency regulation and stability of the national power system; reducing the cost of the system; reducing the working intensity of existing units, prolonging the life of equipment, saving maintenance and repair costs. After a period of temporary suspension of construction, up to now, the project’s categories have been implemented synchronously by a joint venture of contractors; with the goal of putting unit 1 to generate electricity in the second quarter of 2024; unit 2 will generate electricity and be completed in the fourth quarter of 2024.

Source: Vietnam Business Forum