Hydropower plants likely to reach productivity of 18,000MW

11 hydropower plants situated in river systems of Da, Dong Nai, Lo-Gam, Se San, Ba, Vu Gia rivers, irrespective of rebuilt small-sized ones, have so far operated with total installed productivity of 4,153 MW, generating an average power output of 18.06 billion kWh which ranks after natural gas-fired power plants. Noticeably, such power plants as Thac Ba, Hoa Binh, Tri An, Yaly, Ham Thuan-Da My, etc. played a vital part in  country’s power distributing in early years of renovation which faced bunch of difficulties including power shortage. The country has finished constructing and putting into operation 3 more hydropower plants namely Se San No.3, Se San No.3A (unit 1), Srok Phu Mieng along with 7 other small-scale ones with the total installed productivity of 461 MW in 2006. This year, EVN, Song Da Corporation and other enterprises have operated certain hydropower plants including Se San 3A (unit 2), Quang Tri, Tuyen Quang (unit 1), and Dai Ninh together with 9 small-sized ones with a useable productivity totalled at 746 MW, thus minimize power shortage.

Enterprises from all parts of the country have started constructing 45 hydropower plants, of which productivity ranges from 63 MW to 2,400 MW and 108 other small-scale ones, of which productivity is totalled at 10,289 MW. EVN, in combination with contractors, is mobilizing its resources for construction in an effort to reach 2008’s target that it will put into operation unit 1 and unit 2 of Plei Krong, A Vuong, Ba Ha Rivers and Buon Kuop hydropower plants, unit 1 of Ban Ve hydropower plant and 11 other rebuilt small-scale hydropower plants with installed productivity totalling 1,551 MW. Those hydropower plants will certainly contribute a remarkable power output to the country. 

As regard to preliminary plan of Power Development Project No.6, in the whole country, there will be 7 more large and 16 small hydropower plants to be operated with total useable productivity of 1,066 MW in 2009; and 9 other large and 18 other small ones with total useable productivity of 2,052 MW will start to generate power in 2010. Among them, unit 1 of Son La hydropower plant with productivity of 400 MW is put into operation one year prior to the State’s required time, which helps the State benefit hundreds of billions of dongs from it. 2011 will see 7  hydropower plants, and 2 unit 2 & 3 of Son La hydropower plant, and 16 other small plants with installed productivity of 1,901 MW in operation. Figures of 2012 will be 7 other hydropower plants, and 16 rebuilt small ones with total used productivity of 2,654 MW, among which are 3 last unit 4, 5 &6 of Son La hydropower plant with the total productivity of 1,200 MW.

In the 3 following years (2013-2014-2015), Vietnam will put into action 13 hydropower plants along with 42 small-sized hydropower with total capacity of 3,615 MW, making an end for the accelerating period of investing in hydropower in all 3 regions of the country. The most dramatic is Lai Chau Hydropower Company with installed capacity of 600 MW, Uptown Kon Tum Hydropower Company with the capacity of 220 MW, Dak Mi Hydropower with the capacity of 210 MW, etc. and 42 small-sized hydropower companies with the total capacity of 1,006 MW. 

Through constructing series of hydropower projects, the teams of designers, consultants, installing companies, and hydraulic - electric equipment manufacturers in Vietnam have made enormous progress in all areas. Originating from hiring foreign experts as consultants and designers to guide the construction and directly justify machines, domestic skilled and experienced employees and technical officers have so far been in charge of those duties effectively. In the past, only Song Da General Company was famous for constructing hydropower. At present, the nation has seen dozens of other companies to emerge in the filed with the capacity of at least 500 MW. In constructing hydropower from traditional stony ground dikes, there have been new technologies like stony ground dikes with buried concrete (Quang Tri and Tuyen Quang hydropower), modern roller-compacted concrete dikes (Son La, Dong Nai No.3&4, Ban Ve, A Vuong hydropower, etc.). Especially, we used to dig tunnels for hydropower companies by the classical method of shot-hole drilling, but now Dai Ninh Hydropower Company has made full use of TBM system that has a automatic digger, fruitfully bringing about subtunnel category with high productivity and security. 

That hydropower projects are continuously carried out has boosted the mechanic and electro-mechanical manufacturing in Vietnam. At this point, Ha Noi Mechanical One Member Limited Company (HAMECO), Power Engineering Joint Stock Company (PEC), and Electrical Mechanical Joint Stock Company (CEMC) have manufactured ten thousands of equipments for hydropower companies throughout the country. Among them, segment valves, drain valves, flow-controlling pipes, hydraulic equipments, etc. for hydropower companies of up to 500 MW are the most outstanding products. In particular, PEC has rapidly developed flow-controlling pipes and hydraulic equipments with the capacity of at least 500 MW. 

Believably, with the endlessly attempt of domestic enterprises in such fields as installation, electric-mechanical and so on, the figure 18,000 MW of installed capacity for hydropower companies in the General Map VI will certainly come true in the short-term, alleviating power shortage which has been a burden on the existing power industry.