People’s consensus guarantees the project’s initial success

The Circuit-3 500kV transmission line from Quang Trach (Quang Binh Province) to Pho Noi (Hung Yen Province) has a total length of 519 kilometres, consisting of four components, namely Quang Trach-Quynh Luu, Quynh Luu-Thanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa-Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant and Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant-Pho Noi. The line runs through nine provinces, comprises 1,177 pylons and has a total cost of 22.3 trillion VND (876 million USD).

This is an urgent project, which is significant to ensuring power supply for the north during this year’s hot season. Under the Prime Minister’s direction, the project must be completed by June.

Under the direction of the Prime Minister, ministries, agencies and local authorities have taken bold measures. The national electricity utility EVN and its transmission arm EVNNPT, along with contractors and consultants, with a total of nearly 15,000 officials, engineers and workers, have worked around the clock on the construction sites, even during the holidays, regardless of weather conditions, to complete the project on schedule.

Thanh Hoa is the province with the largest number of pylons at 299, and one of the two provinces with the longest lines at 131 kilometres, as well as 137 spans and one 500kV substation, covering 13 hectares. Therefore, the amount of site clearance work and resettlement is huge.

According to the Thanh Hoa People’s Committee, the number of households affected by the project is 268, of which 52 households are completely displaced and 110 households are subject to partial land acquisition. Sixty plots of land with no housing works have to be fully compensated and 69 plots of land with no housing works partly compensated.

However, thanks to implementing the site clearance work methodically and proactively, with the most drastic spirit and determination, Thanh Hoa has ensured progress to serve construction related to site handover and the power grid safety corridor.

Secretary of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee Do Trong Hung, informed that in March 2024, localities across the province handed over 100% of column foundations, and on May 29, 100% of anchor spaces were handed over to construction units. Thus, Thanh Hoa has directed localities to put all resources into completing the handover of the site to the investor for construction in accordance with the commitment to the Prime Minister, contributing significantly to soon bringing the 500kV circuit 3 lines to the finish line.

Secretary of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee stated clearly that determining the 500kV circuit 3 line project is a key national project, the province has focused on directing the implementation of site clearance work with the highest determination so that the contractors could complete the construction on schedule.

Even before the investment policy was issued, Thanh Hoa Province directed branches and localities to urgently review construction plans, land use plans, and areas of rice and forest land, which must be converted for other purposes, projects that have had investment policies approved, and active projects affected by transmission lines, to urgently solve problems and prioritise the implementation of the 500kV circuit 3 line project through the area.

In addition, the provincial leaders have paid attention to directing the Party Committee, authorities and socio-political organisations in the area, to promote communications and mobilise people to understand the meaning and importance of the work. Implement the project to ensure national energy security and socio-economic development of Thanh Hoa, thereby creating consensus among the people to soon hand over the site.

Localities, where the project is implemented, have held public meetings to publicly disseminate the site clearance plan immediately after approval and worked directly with each affected household to pay compensation costs; support project implementation as soon as households agree, thereby quickly handing over the site to create conditions for the construction unit to carry out the project.

Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee also regularly paid attention, directed, and went on numerous field trips to inspect the site clearance work, promptly encouraged contractors and construction workers, and directed the resolution of difficulties and problems at the project site, and at the same time directly worked with and mobilised people to support the project, quickly handed over the site to the investor and construction contractor for implementation, according to the required schedule.

As one of the localities which has completed site clearance for construction work under the Prime Minister's direction, Nam Dinh Province also determined that early handover of the construction site is one of the important factors contributing to helping the project reach its set schedule.

The 500kV circuit-3 transmission line passing through Nam Dinh Province includes two projects (the 500kV line from Nam Dinh 1 thermal power plant to Thanh Hoa, and the 500kV line from Nam Dinh 1 thermal power plant to Pho Noi), with a total length of about 55km, including 145 pole foundation positions and 54 anchor spans. As of May 31, Nam Dinh has completed handing over all 145 out of 145 foundation positions and 54 out of 54 anchor spaces, to the construction contractor.

According to Tran Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Nam Dinh Province, to achieve the above results, in addition to the timely intervention and drastic direction of the Provincial Party Committee, People's Committee, and Provincial People's Council, as well as the consensus of the political system, first of all, it is necessary to carry out propaganda and mobilise people to implement the State's major policies.

“Even though there are many difficulties in the implementation process, in general, people still show very high consensus. In conclusion, it must be said that the most important thing in the work of site clearance, is the consensus of the people. While the policy framework may not have been issued in time, through propaganda and advocacy, the people themselves are aware of the importance of putting the 500kV circuit-3 transmission line project into operation, so people are very consensus,” Minh said.

According to Minh, for cases where households still have concerns, Nam Dinh has also directed all levels of government and the entire political system at the grassroots level, to closely follow the people, regularly propagate and mobilise people, helping them clearly understand policies and guidelines, to soon release and hand over the corridor site for construction.

In addition, the smooth coordination, support, and timely resolution of problems between the local authorities, investors and contractors, have also contributed to the initial success of the project.

Vo Cong Tai, deputy head of Frontline Division 1 of the Northern Power Project Management Board - the unit managing the construction packages of the Circuit-3 500kV transmission line in Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, and Nam Dinh provinces, said that during the construction process, initial difficulties arose related to handing over sites of power pole foundation and raw materials for foundation construction.

However, thanks to the support from the local government, along with the coordination from contractors and investors, difficulties were resolved to ensure the timely completion of the foundation, and the installation of power poles and lines, ensuring the project’s progress.

“In the current period, professional and technical factors are difficult, especially when moving to the stage of erecting poles and pulling cable. It requires specialised and experienced teams to conduct this work. Initially, there were few teams, but now, the contractors have mobilised maximum human resources and machinery, in addition to local human resources,” Tai added.

With the maximum support for construction units, localities continue to accompany investors and contractors in construction work, after handing over the cleared sites.

Tran Thanh Minh, Deputy Director of the Nam Dinh Provincial Department of Industry and Trade, said that to ensure the project’s progress remains on schedule as directed by the Prime Minister, all levels, sectors and authorities of the province are currently working closely with investors and contractors to solve difficulties in all stages, from human resources to provision of supplies and equipment, while mobilising the participation of youth union members and local young people to support the project’s implementation.

According to Minh, the obstacles facing the contractor will be resolved directly at the site by functional units in the project’s area, with maximum support.

“It can be said that the entire political system and people throughout Nam Dinh province are unanimous in their will to do everything possible to contribute the highest support for the project’s contractors and management boards. The ultimate goal is to complete the project on time, before June 30, according to the Prime Minister's direction, Minh emphasised.

Ensuring the most favourable conditions for the construction

To ensure the project’s success, in addition to site clearance, the coordination and provision of most favourable conditions for the investor, the project’s management boards, and contractors to complete their tasks is also essential. Given this, Thanh Hoa Province has launched a plan to mobilise the full involvement of local leaders at all levels in implementing the project.

According to Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee Mai Xuan Liem, during the project’s implementation process, the provincial authorities have directed the chairmen of the People's Committees of districts in the province to follow the daily updates on the project’s progress from the management board in order to resolve arising problems in a timely manner. If it exceeds their authority, they are asked to report to the provincial leaders without waiting for an official written report.

In addition, following the Prime Minister's direction, the Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee directed the Provincial Fatherland Front Committee to coordinate with relevant units and district-level organisations to visit and encourage the working spirit of the construction units, and at the same time updated the situation such that any arising problems would be promptly resolved.

“We had directed the project’s management boards and contractors to complete the clean-ups of trees and crops under the grid safety corridor before June 15,” said the Vice Chairman of Thanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee.

The official also emphasised that province determined that the National Power Transmission Corporation holds the major responsibility for directing the project’s management boards, and local authorities are responsible for coordinating and addressing problems that arise during the implementation process, as well as mobilising available resources and creating the most favourable conditions to complete the project by the end of June 2024.

Secretary of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee Do Trong Hung, said during the implementation process of the project, Thanh Hoa Province has always demonstrated the spirit of a “major frontline” and a “major rear”, to ensure the best conditions for construction.

“When clearing the site, we were the “major frontline” so we had to ‘go into battle’ first. Now the site clearance work has been completed, the province has handed over the clean site for construction, and we become the “major rear”, to support contractors during construction”, stressed the Secretary of Thanh Hoa Provincial Party Committee. He also said he had assigned Party Committees, authorities, and Fatherland Front Committees in the localities, to thoroughly grasp the spirit of supporting cadres and workers at the construction site, to ensure safety, progress, and quality, by all means possible.

In addition, based on the direction of the Provincial Party Committee, Thanh Hoa Provincial Youth Union has also issued a plan to mobilise nearly 500 youth members from localities, where the power line passes through, to create the most favourable conditions for construction units to carry out the works. For works that do not require high technical skills, the Provincial Youth Union is also ready to coordinate with the project’s management boards to mobilise young people, to support the units in the best way possible.

Similarly, the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union Standing Committee and Provincial Summer Volunteer Campaign Command have established 74 youth volunteer teams with 1,100 members, to participate in the peak emulation campaign of “30 days and nights of volunteering to overcome the sun and rains to support the implementation of the 500kV circuit-3 transmission line through the province.”

According to Vo Cong Danh, Secretary of the Youth Union of Nghe An Power Company, implementing the direction of the Central Youth Union, as well as the Youth Union of Vietnam Electricity, the Youth Union of Nghe An Power Company has recently coordinated with the Nghe An Provincial Youth Union to establish volunteering teams in communes where the power line passes through.

“Such a position has about 15 youth union members and young people. Our main work is to support the construction units, dismantle the beams, support the logistics tasks, clear the corridors, and set up propaganda teams for the relocated households. The youths are determined to coordinate with contractors and construction units to 'work days and nights' to complete the key national project", said Danh.