500kV line 3 is in operation, is the North still at risk of power shortage?

Assessing the importance of this project, many experts believe that the 500kV line 3 can help the North reduce the risk of power shortages from now until 2030.

An EVN leader said that the 500kV line 3 Quang Trach - Pho Noi is a key, urgent project, of great significance to increase the power transmission capacity through the 500kV system from the Central region to the North with a capacity of 2,500MW at present to 5,000MW. After being connected, the line will improve the stability of the power system operation, increase power supply to the North in 2025 and the following years, and reduce the risk of overloading and overloading of existing 500kV lines and stations.

"The line also contributes to ensuring national energy security, limiting local power shortages that occur during peak months in the North from now until 2030.", he said.

Energy expert, Dr. Ngo Tuan Kiet, Director of the Institute of Energy Technology, analyzed: Previously, the transmission of electricity from the Central region to the North was still weak. When the 500kV line 3 is connected and put into operation, the transmission of electricity from power plants in the Central region to the North will certainly be more convenient due to the increased capacity scale. This helps to prevent unusual situations. For example, in the situation where hydroelectric plants in the North lack water, there will immediately be an additional source of electricity from the Central region.

According to Mr. Kiet, in the future, the North will develop rapidly so the demand for electricity load is very large.Therefore, the inauguration and connection of the entire 500kV line 3 is very timely to effectively solve the current electricity load problem in the North and by 2030.", Mr. Kiet added.

However, according to Mr. Kiet, after 2030, we must proactively balance sources and loads, not just focus on building power lines, because power lines do not generate electricity, they only transmit electricity.“We need to balance the power source and load of each region. Accordingly, the North must balance the supply sources from hydropower, renewable energy, and rooftop solar power in accordance with the spirit of the eighth power plan,”Mr. Kiet commented.

Sharing the same view, Associate Professor, Dr. Bui Xuan Hoi affirmed that the 500kV line 3 project is very important because it enhances the inter-regional transmission capacity between the North Central region, the Central Central region and the North.

“We have clearly seen the risk of a relatively serious power shortage in the North from now until 2030. Therefore, when the 500kV line 3 is inaugurated, combined with the Quang Trach 1 Thermal Power Plant project and the Nghi Son Thermal Power Plant, it will be the best condition to increase transmission capacity from the North Central and Central Central regions to the North. At the same time, it will also transmit the capacity of a number of wind and solar power plant projects from Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, and Van Phong to the North. Thus, the 500kV line 3 will solve the problem of increasing power reserve capacity in the North,”Mr. Hoi said.

Energy expert Dao Nhat Dinh also agreed that the 500kV circuit 3 transmission line project will solve the problem of increasing electricity reserve capacity in the North, thereby solving the problem of power shortages as occurred in 2023.

With its large power transmission capacity, the 500kV line 3 also creates favorable conditions for the effective exploitation of renewable energy sources such as wind power and solar power in the Central region. This not only contributes to reducing dependence on fossil energy sources but also helps Vietnam fulfill its international commitments on environmental protection and climate change response.

The 500kV line project, circuit 3, Quang Trach - Pho Noi is a large-scale project, with a total length of 519km, 2 circuits with 1,177 pole locations, a total investment of more than 22,300 billion VND (nearly 1 billion USD), passing through 9 provinces including Quang Binh, Ha Tinh, Nghe An, Thanh Hoa, Ninh Binh, Nam Dinh, Thai Binh, Hai Duong and Hung Yen.

The project has an excavation volume of more than 2.5 million m3, using more than 705,000 m3 of concrete, nearly 70,000 tons of foundation steel; the total volume of steel column erection is 139,000 tons; pulling a total of nearly 14,000 km of various types of conductors.

The project has 4 component projects including: 500kV Quang Trach - Quynh Luu transmission line project, 226 km long; 500kV Quynh Luu - Thanh Hoa 2-circuit project, 91 km long; 500kV Thanh Hoa - Nam Dinh 1 project, 73 km long; 500kV Nam Dinh 1 - Pho Noi project, 123 km long.

At the end of October 2023, the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) started construction of the 500kV Nam Dinh I - Thanh Hoa Thermal Power Plant transmission line project. After that, the remaining 3 component projects: the 500kV Nam Dinh I - Pho Noi Thermal Power Plant transmission line, the 500kV Quynh Luu - Thanh Hoa transmission line and the 500kV Quang Trach - Quynh Luu transmission line simultaneously started construction on January 18, 2024.