For many consecutive days, thousands of engineers and workers worked through the night, laboring tirelessly to erect towers and string power lines across mountains, determined to complete the 450 MW Solar Power Plant (Phuoc Minh commune, Thuan Nam district), the 500kV Substation, and 17 km of 500kV and 220kV transmission lines in a record time of just over 100 days to welcome the Ninh Thuan Provincial Party Congress for the 2020–2025 tenure.
Mr. Vu Dinh Tan, Director of Trung Nam - Thuan Nam Solar Power Co., Ltd., stated that the most arduous task was constructing the double-circuit 500kV transmission line connecting the Thuan Nam 500kV Substation to the Vinh Tan 500kV Substation, stretching from Phuoc Minh commune (Thuan Nam district, Ninh Thuan province) to Vinh Tan commune (Tuy Phong district, Binh Thuan province).
Many power towers along the 500kV line were constructed on high, rugged mountain peaks where transporting equipment presented extreme challenges. Initially, Trungnam Group considered helicopter airlift, but it proved impractical. Engineers boldly proposed cutting direct access roads up the mountainsides. Across steep vertical inclines, equipment and machinery had to be moved using raw human strength and specialized crawler vehicles.
Day and night over several grueling weeks, thousands of engineers and laborers pushed forward through night shifts to assemble towers and pull conductors over mountain ridges, aiming for project completion in just over 100 days.
Throughout three continuous months, Mr. Tan remained stationed on site without returning home. Concerned for her husband, his wife drove their children from Ho Chi Minh City to Ninh Thuan to visit him. Due to severe travel difficulties and the hours required to climb the peaks, many engineers and construction workers chose to set up temporary encampments directly on the rocky mountains. By day, they endured scorching heat; as night fell, they braved bone-chilling cold so that construction sites across the mountain range separating Binh Thuan and Ninh Thuan provinces remained continuously illuminated with bright floodlights.
Amid harsh sun, wind, and jagged rocks, hundreds of workers moved briskly to string conductors, suspended at heights of over a hundred meters with sweat-soaked uniforms. Mr. Nguyen Tam Tien, General Director of Trungnam Group (the investor), noted that the 450 MW Solar Power Plant project, integrated with the 220/500kV Trung Nam – Thuan Nam Substation and 220kV/500kV transmission lines connecting to the national grid, broke ground on May 15 with a total investment of VND 12,000 billion. Key components, including the 450 MW solar farm, 500kV substation, and 4-circuit 220kV line connecting Thuan Nam 500kV Substation into the 220kV Thap Cham – Vinh Tan lines, reached 100% completion.
Specifically, the double-circuit 500kV transmission line linking Thuan Nam 500kV Substation to Vinh Tan 500kV Substation is virtually complete and undergoing final testing, with energization scheduled for September 27.
“Currently, the project is rapidly finalizing procedures to obtain Commercial Operation Date (COD) recognition,” Mr. Tien stated, adding that upon completion, Trungnam Group will hand over the transmission infrastructure—including the Thuan Nam 500kV Substation and 220kV/500kV lines—to the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) for management and operation at a cost of 0 VND.
According to Mr. Luu Xuan Vinh, Chairman of the Ninh Thuan Provincial People's Committee, upon completion, the project will not only eliminate 100% of power plant capacity cutbacks across Ninh Thuan but also leave a significant margin for future expansion. Specifically, the substation built by Trungnam Group has a capacity of 6,000 MW, whereas the total power generation capacity in Ninh Thuan province reached just over 1,200 MW by the end of 2020.
“Eliminating capacity curtailment for wind and solar power plants generates immense added value for Ninh Thuan province. By year-end, the province will fulfill central budget collection targets. GRDP growth is projected to reach 11.2%, with this project alone contributing 4.5% to provincial GRDP growth once operational,” Mr. Luu Xuan Vinh emphasized.
Mr. Vinh noted that commissioning the 450 MW Trung Nam – Thuan Nam Solar Power Plant, the 220/500kV substation, and the 220kV/500kV transmission lines directly contributes to implementing Politburo Resolution 55 and Government Resolution 115, transforming Ninh Thuan into the national renewable energy center.
Source: tienphong.vn