$378 million to be invested in expansion of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant

By Minh Anh - Apr 14, 2018 | 07:17 AM GMT+7

TheLEADERDeputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung has just approved the proposal on investment in expanding Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant with a total capital of nearly VND8.6 trillion, equivalent to $378 million.

$378 million to be invested in expansion of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant
Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant.

The investment aims to raise the national power network’s peak power and maximize utilization of water discharged from the plant in the flood season for generating power.

It will also help enhance the frequency modulation capability and stabilize the frequency of the national electricity system and reduce the working intensity of available turbines of the plant, thereby prolonging the life of equipment and saving maintenance and repair costs.

The expanded project will consist of two turbines with total capacity of 480MW. The average power output is expected to reach 479 million kWh per year (in flood season) while its electricity mobilization during peak hours will increase to 264.4 million kWh per year (in the dry season).The project is expected to come into operation in 2022 or 2023.

The existing Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant was commenced on November 06, 1979 and inaugurated on December 20, 1994, consisting of eight turbines, each of which has a capacity of 240,000 KW. The annual output of the plant is estimated at 8.16 billion kWh.

Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant is the main power supply to the entire power system in Vietnam. The fact that the plant was inaugurated and proceeded to build the North-South 500KV power line from Hoa Binh province to Phu Lam station, Ho Chi Minh City has formed a national power grid, contributing significantly to the power supply to the southern and central provinces of the country.