In his remarks, the deputy PM affirmed that the Lai Chau plant features solidarity and creativeness of local officials, engineers and workers.

He praised the concerted efforts made by officials, engineers and workers to complete the project ahead of schedule, while assigning the Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) and the Son La Hydropower Company to operate the Lai Chau plant to its optimal efficiency.

Deputy PM Dung also requested the authorities of Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces to work with EVN to improve the lives of ethnic minority groups in the project area.

The 1,200 MW plant is a national multipurpose key facility and is the third largest hydropower project on the Da River’s mainstream, after the Son La Hydropower Plant and the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant.

The facility will supply over 4.67 billion kWh of electricity to the national grid per year. First of all, the plant will generate about 4.2 billion kWh in 2017, accounting for 2.1% of the country’s total power output.

With the completion of the Lai Chau Hydropower Plant, Viet Nam has basically exploited the hydropower potential on the Da River, with a combined capacity of hydropower plants reaching 6,500 MW and a combined electricity output of 25 billion kWh, making up nearly one third of the nation’s total hydropower output until 2020.

Together with other hydropower plants on the Da River, the Lai Chau Hydropower Plant will not only contribute to directly supplying electricity to the national grid, but also work to minimize the impacts of climate change, regulate flooding in the rainy season and provide water in the dry season for the northern delta.

It is also expected to create jobs and contribute actively to the annual local budget.

                                                                                                                                     By Vien Nhu