Nhan Dan

December 2, 2005

Construction begins on Southeast Asia’s largest hydro dam which is expected to impoverish more than 90,000 ethnic minority people who will be flooded off their land.

Vietnam: Construction of Son La hydroelectric plant, the biggest hydro-power project in Vietnam so far, with a planned capacity of 2,400 MW, will start in the northern province of the same name on December 2. Son La hydroelectric project, with six generator groups, will be built on the Da (Black) River in It Ong commune, Muong La district, Son La.
The project was designed with consultation from Vietnamese experts and Russia’s Moscow Hydrodynamics Designing Institute. The Song Da corporation was appointed as the general contractor and 12 other units as sub-contractors.

Under the Government’s decision, the project has a total investment of VND 36,933 billion. The project is expected to be completed in 2015 and its first turbine group will generate electricity in 2010. When completed, the hydroelectric plant will supply an average of 10.2
billion kWh a year, markedly contributing to national socio-economic development and the cause of national industrialisation and modernisation. Meanwhile, the project will help prevent floods and supply water for the Red River delta in the dry season with a capacity
of 5.97 billion cubic metres. It is expected to help promote socio-economic development in the Tay Bac (northwestern) region.

According to General Director of the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) corporation Dao Van Hung, in preparation for the project over the past two years, construction units have removed 9.2 million cubic metres of rock and earth, poured 200,000 cubic metres of concrete, installed 1,400 tonnes of equipment and levelled 450 ha of land. (VNA)