Socialist Republic of Vietnam

Five electricity plants were officially opened in Vietnam’s largest power center in southern Ba Ria-Vung Tau province April 10, helping the country meet growing demands for power.
The five plants, which have combined capacity of 2,258 MW, were built by the country’s biggest power firm, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), in the Phu My Power Center.

Vietnamese Prime Minister Phan Van Khai was present at the inauguration ceremony of the facilities, which are expected to supply more than 23 billion KWh a year and consume more than 4.1 billion cubic meters of natural gas, EVN said.

Following the establishment of these plants, the EVN has also set up nearly 340 kilometers of cables and transformer stations with combined capacity of 2,200 megavolt amps.

Largest power center

The Phu My Power Center has a capacity of 3,859 MW, representing 40 per cent of the national grid's designed capacity.

The center also has three other power plants, two of which have a total capacity of 1,435 MW and are built by foreign investors under the BOT (Build-Operate-Transfer) scheme.

The Phu My Power Center started operation in 1997, and has so far supplied more than 45 billion KWh of electricity to the national grid.

The center will become fully operational when the last of its eight factories is put into operation this December, according to EVN.

Boost to gas industry

The power complex also gives a boost to the emergence of a gas industry in Vietnam, according to industry experts.

The center has consumed nearly 9 billion cubic meters of gas in the past few years, including 7 billion cubic meters of associated gas – a natural gas found in association with oil that used to be burnt for disposal.

“The Phu My Power Center’s projects have not only improved electricity supplies for the country, but also helped develop the gas industry,” Prime Minister Phan Van Khai said at the opening ceremony of EVN’s five plants.

He added that the gas industry was required to ensure sufficient supplies of gas for the power sector.

Reported by Tran Hung – Translated by Hieu Trung.
Story from Thanh Nien News
Published: 10 April, 2005, 21:12:41 (GMT+7)
Copyright Thanh Nien News