Success story behind 500kV Circuit-3 transmission line project

Unity in action

The 500kV Circuit-3 Quang Trach - Pho Noi transmission line spans nearly 520km, consisting of two double-circuit lines connected by 1,177 tower foundation points. It passes through 211 communes/wards in 43 districts/towns across nine provinces from North Central Vietnam to the northern region. On August 28, 2024, over seven months after the groundbreaking on January 18, the project was completed within a record-short time frame despite massive and challenging workload, and complicated terrain and weather conditions.

2,500 engineers and workers from EVN have participated in the construction of the 500kV Circuit 3 transmission line

Within four months, from June to October 2023, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), along with the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, and nine provinces through which the transmission line passes, have completed investment procedures for all the four component projects.

At the end of October 2023, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the 500kV Nam Dinh 1 - Pho Noi transmission line project. This was the first component project of the transmission line, successfully energized on June 30, 2024.

The remaining component projects, along with the newly invested 500kV Thanh Hoa substation and the expansion of the bays at two existing substations (500kV Pho Noi substation and 500kV Quang Trach substation), were simultaneously started on January 18, 2024.

Under the guidance of the Prime Minister, and with the participation of the entire political system, the 500kV Circuit-3 Quang Trach - Pho Noi transmission line project has become a notable highlight.

Identified as a key and urgent project of particular importance to national energy security, especially for the northern region, this project significantly enhances the power transmission capacity of the North-Central region from approximately 2,200 MW to about 5,000 MW, contributing significantly to ensuring electricity supply for the North. Therefore, within just seven months from the groundbreaking to the project’s completion, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh presided over 10 meetings, visited the construction site to inspect, encourage workers, and extended his gratitude to local residents who gave up their land for the project.

Meanwhile, Deputy Prime Ministers conducted direct inspections to monitor the project’s construction progress and the supply of materials and equipment. From March to June 2024, the State Steering Committee for Key National Energy Projects held biweekly online meetings with leaders from relevant ministries, agencies, and nine provinces through which the transmission line passes. These meetings focused on updating progress, addressing obstacles, and resolving challenges.

As a result, the land clearance process was completed in just over three months, making it the fastest for any 220-500kV power transmission project ever implemented, enabling construction units to accelerate the project.

The 500kV Circuit-3 Quang Trach - Pho Noi transmission line project involves a significant construction workload

Mobilizing maximum resources

The 500kV Circuit-3 Quang Trach - Pho Noi transmission line project involves a significant construction workload and applies numerous new technologies.

Although the total length of the entire line is about 519km, it is designed to consist of two double-circuit lines, making the total length 1,038km. The project requires a large volume of equipment, including nearly 139,000 tonnes of steel towers with approximately 83 percent domestically produced and 17 percent imported.

Throughout the construction process, the project faced unfavorable and unpredictable weather conditions. To achieve the set goals, the electricity sector mobilized a large workforce to support contractors on the construction site.

At the peak of construction, up to 15,000 workers from contractors and various units of the EVN Group, Viettel Military Industry and Telecoms Group, Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (PVN), and Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT), participated in tower construction and line stringing.

The “on-site” approach has proven highly effective (on-site construction equipment, on-site labor, on-site building materials, and on-site compensation).

Thanks to this approach, over 2,000 pieces of construction machinery, approximately 95 percent of the building materials and around 90 percent of the general labor force, including over 7,000 workers from hundreds of businesses and organizations, have been mobilized for foundation excavation and transportation of materials and equipment.

Approximately 83 percent of the steel poles were domestically manufactured, requiring contractors to enhance production capacity and foster mutual support among contractor units.

The Quang Trach - Pho Noi 500kV Cuircui-3 transmission line project has been completed on schedule. Energy experts believe “splitting” the bidding packages has helped maximize the mobilization of social resources to ensure the project’s progress./.