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Vietnam to Build First Pumped Storage Power Plant

Posted on: Friday, 12 August 2005, 09:00 CDT

Vietnam to build first pumped storage power plant

HANOI, Aug. 12 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam plans to invest nearly 720 million US dollars in building its first pumped storage power plant to deal with electricity shortage at peak hours.

"We've submitted a plan on constructing a pumped storage power plant with a capacity of some 1,500 mw to the Industry Ministry. The plant is expected to become operational in 2018," an official from the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the country's biggest power producer and sole distributor, told Xinhua Friday.

The state-owned electricity corporation has proposed three locations for the future plant, including two in northern Son La province and one in southern Ninh Thuan province, the official said, noting that the Phu Yen district in Son La could be optimal.

"If the plant is built in the district, the required investment will stand at nearly 720 million dollars," the official said, noting that its capacity is similar to that of the Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Plant in northern Hoa Binh province. The Hoa Binh- based plant with a capacity of 1,400-1,900 mw generates around 43 percent of the northern region's electricity output.

Pumped storage hydroelectricity, a method of storing and generating power to supply high peak demands by moving water between reservoirs at different elevations, is effective, economical and less harmful to environment, since it requires just small reservoirs, and utilizes other power sources to generate electricity at peak hours, the official noted.

At times of low electrical demand, excess electrical capacity, coming from thermoelectric plants or nuclear power plants near pumped storage hydroelectricity systems, is used to pump water into the higher reservoir. When there is higher demand, water is released back into the lower reservoir through a turbine, generating hydroelectricity.

By actively constructing more thermoelectric and hydroelectric plants, Vietnam hopes to increase its electricity capacity to 25, 000-26,000 mw in 2010 from the current 11,400 mw, meeting demand for its socio-economic development. Now, 95.4 percent of communes and nearly 91.3 percent of households in Vietnam have access to the national electricity grid, the EVN said.

Source: Xinhua News Agency - CEIS

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