Straining to keep the national power line

It is the peak hot season, the demand for electricity consumption is increasing. Therefore, ensuring the mobilization of all large power sources to the national power system safely, keeping the entire system operating smoothly and stably is the vital task of the officers, engineers and workers of Power Transmission Company 3 to ensure electricity for production and people's daily life.

Over mountains, through forests, perched precariously in the scorching sun

At 8:00 a.m., at the 500kV Van Phong - Vinh Tan pole point on Hon Heo range (Ninh Phuoc commune, Ninh Hoa town), the sun was blazing, but the workers of Khanh Hoa Power Transmission (Power Transmission Company 3) still nimbly climbed the steep slopes and climbed the mountains to the pole area to inspect. Sweating profusely, Captain of Nha Trang Transmission Line Team Ngo Huu Bao Thinh still joked as he walked: “A pole point like this is nothing compared to the transmission team. You don’t know, the national power grid that the company manages is mostly precariously perched on rocky mountains or cut through old forests. Every year, during the hot season, the load skyrockets, causing the equipment to always operate at full capacity, making it easy to break down, so we have to increase the frequency of inspection and continuous monitoring day and night. Crossing forests, climbing mountains, and swinging on 60-70m high poles in the middle of the forest has become a daily routine for power transmission workers”.

Use drones to monitor high altitude locations.

For those working in power transmission, most of them have to work on steep trails, steep cliffs, under the scorching sun of the Central region. "The 500kV line is a major energy "blood vessel", to keep it running smoothly, many things have to be sacrificed. Safe and smooth power transmission is not only a goal but also an order for those working in transmission. This is not only electricity for daily life, but also a transit artery, serving industrial production of the whole South. Just a small incident, whether it is an unusual heat source or a broken line, the huge supply chain of an entire key economic region will be affected" - Mr. Doi Thanh An - an employee of the Nha Trang Power Line Team shared.

Checking the 220kV Nha Trang - Thap Cham line.

In the dry season, Khanh Hoa and Ninh Thuan provinces often have to endure severe heat waves, with outdoor temperatures reaching up to 40 degrees Celsius. Combined with the effects of electrical equipment, the heat on power lines and transformer stations becomes even more terrible. The task of power transmission workers these days is not only to periodically check and maintain, but also to continuously monitor 24/7 to promptly detect unusual heat spots on power lines, at joints, or inside transformer station equipment. A small heat spot can be the seed of a major incident, leading to fire and explosion, causing widespread power outages, especially directly affecting industrial production activities in the southern provinces.

Mr. Ngo Dang Hoang - Captain of Cam Ranh Power Line Team spoke with a hoarse voice because of the sun: "This season, climbing up the electric pole makes my hands and feet hot. But I cannot be discouraged, because millions of people need electricity to cool down, to run the air conditioner, to avoid suffocation and more importantly, factories need electricity for production. The sweat is not only because of the hard work, but also because of the stress of having to ensure that every technical parameter, every connection point must be perfect in the harshest conditions".

There are always sleepless nights

The work of power transmission engineers and workers is not only arduous journeys, but also sleepless nights when there is an incident. A phone call in the middle of the night, a notification from the control center, they jump up, quickly put on protective clothing and rush to the scene, regardless of rain or wind. Head of the 500kV Van Phong Luyen Truong Ca Transformer Station (Khanh Hoa Power Transmission) confided: “Everyone wants to spend more time with their families, but with a sense of responsibility at work, we are ready to take on the task of being on duty, ensuring power supply during peak times. Many of us here are far from home, sometimes missing our wives and children, but they always keep it hidden in their hearts. Many people live far away, sometimes only returning home once a month, because work does not allow them to leave their positions for too long. Hasty meals on the roadside, fitful sleep on the edge of the forest, or short phone calls with family have become familiar to power transmission workers. For those on duty at key positions, sleepless nights often happen.”

That sacrifice is not only reflected in the dangers at work, but also in their acceptance of giving up the most ordinary things in life to maintain the national electricity flow. Because everyone understands that, to get electricity to every family and every business in the dry, hot season, there needs to be a high sense of responsibility from every cadre and employee in the electricity industry.

Mr. Dinh Van Cuong - Deputy Director of Power Transmission Company 3 said that the power transmission grid in the Central and Central Highlands regions is an important node in the national power system. In particular, Khanh Hoa Power Transmission manages and operates 6 power lines with a total length of 721km; 1 500kV transformer station and 3 220kV transformer stations with a total capacity of 3,153MVA. From the beginning of 2024, the unit will receive an additional 500kV distribution yard from Van Phong 1 BOT Thermal Power Plant, energize the 220kV Nha Trang - Thap Cham double-circuit line... Therefore, the responsibility of those working in power transmission is very heavy. Ensuring the mobilization of full capacity of large power sources, from traditional hydropower to solar power and wind power to the national power system safely is the unit's vital task.

Efforts to operate the power grid safely

In the work of ensuring grid safety, in addition to overcoming the impacts of nature, weather, and climate, power transmission soldiers also have to monitor and fix incidents caused by humans. Many cases of people planting trees, building houses in violation of regulations, or even unconscious actions such as flying kites that get caught in power lines, burning straw near power poles, etc. all have the potential to cause incidents, directly affecting the safety of the national power grid. Therefore, propaganda and mobilization work to encourage people to understand and protect the safety corridor of the power grid is very important. There are times when grid management and operation staff have to go to each house, explaining in detail so that people understand that keeping power lines safe is also keeping their own families safe.

Daily inspection at 500kV Van Phong Substation.

Mr. Tran Quang Ngai - Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Power Transmission shared: "We clearly identify the role of ensuring grid safety as serving the socio-economic development and people's lives. Therefore, from the end of 2024, the unit has planned to thoroughly handle existing points on the grid, clean insulation using hotline technology without power outages to ensure safe power transmission in all situations, especially in the hot season".

With the high-voltage grid safety corridor, one of the key solutions effectively implemented by Power Transmission Company 3 is to promote propaganda and mobilize people to participate. This is considered the key to raising public awareness to protect the safety of the power transmission grid corridor. Through many forms such as: distributing leaflets, broadcasting on radio and television, coordinating with localities, power transmission staff to go to people's homes to propagate and mobilize them to cut down tall trees, cover the net to protect crops properly, and not use materials that can fly onto the power lines when a storm occurs.

In the near future, with the policy of merging the two provinces of Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa, the power grid systems of the two localities will be operated together, forming a unified, larger circuit. This not only requires smooth coordination between units, but also places higher demands on the management, operation and protection of the power grid safety corridor. Therefore, the work of the power transmission soldiers is more difficult to keep the national power flow smooth and safe.

DINH LAM

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/phong-su/202506/cang-minhgiu-mach-dien-quoc-gia-2ee7e19/