Journey to light up the highlands of Lai Chau Electricity Company

In the midst of the majestic Northwest mountains, where there are villages with many hardships, electricity is not only light, but also a dream and hope for a better future...

Twenty-one years ago, for Lai Chau - a frontier land located in the northwest of the Fatherland, electricity was still a luxury dream for tens of thousands of households in remote, isolated and border areas. At that time, only over 37% of the communes in the province had electricity, less than 30% of households had access to the national grid. In a terrain divided by mountains, rivers, streams, the majestic and dangerous Phan Xi Pang, Pu Si Lung, Pu Sam Cap ranges, the "orange-shirted soldiers" began their tireless journey: "crossing mountains to bring light" to the villages.

Recalling the early days of separation, the Company had only 6 departments, 3 affiliated electricity branches with only 184 officers and employees, most of whom were young engineers with little experience. The power grid managed by the Company at that time only served the provincial center and a few districts. The physical facilities were almost zero: no headquarters, no factories, had to rent houses for work; lacking everything. The total fixed assets of the unit at that time were only 41.3 billion VND - a very small number compared to the heavy task ahead.

Power lines crossing mountains and forests were erected in the rain, wind, and cold fog. Sometimes, to reach the pole-setting location, workers had to walk all day, crossing steep slopes. Many had to stay in the village for a month, eating with the locals, sleeping in huts, and sharing instant noodles to keep up with the construction progress. Calloused hands and sunburned faces silently wrote the resilient journey of the Electricity industry in the westernmost borderland of the Fatherland.

Identifying electricity as essential infrastructure, PC Lai Chau has consulted with Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), Northern Power Corporation (EVNNPC) to closely coordinate with the Provincial People's Committee to mobilize all resources to implement a series of electricity projects in rural, remote and border areas. Each project that is started is a great joy, another effort to bring light closer to the people. Each transformer station, each kilometer of power line is built in the mountains and forests of Lai Chau. From Muong Te, Phong Tho, Sin Ho to Tan Uyen, Than Uyen... electric light gradually shines throughout the villages, illuminating each house.

Mr. Cao Ngoc Lac added: “We consider each village with electricity as a collective victory. Every additional light bulb means an additional smile in the highlands.”

Thanks to the perseverance and consensus of the staff, by 2015, PC Lai Chau had completed the goal of providing electricity to 100% of communes in the province - a milestone of historical significance. By 2021, the rate of households with electricity reached 97%, reaching the target 4 years earlier than the Resolution of the Provincial Party Congress. Electricity not only dispels the darkness but also opens the door for comprehensive change. Solid houses replace bamboo walls, grinders, pumps, refrigerators, and electric fans gradually become familiar. Children can study under electric light, people can expand production, develop livestock, access new information and knowledge. Electricity has truly become a driving force for socio- economic development, contributing to maintaining border security and stabilizing people's lives.

More than the numbers or completed projects, the greatest value of the journey to bring light is the change in each village, in the simple happiness of the people when they first received electricity. Mr. Vang A Long in Khau Hom village (Nam So commune) emotionally shared: "In the past, there were only oil lamps, at night the whole village was dark. Since we have electricity, we are very happy, our children have light to study, the house has a TV, fan, blender... Now our people can live like in the lowlands."

Over the past two decades, PC Lai Chau has written a journey of faith and aspiration - a journey of crossing mountains and forests to bring electricity to remote villages on the border of the Fatherland. Each electric pole and each power line is soaked with sweat, will and love for the profession of electricians - the "orange soldiers" who silently sow light in the vast forest. Thanks to them, difficult lands have now brightened up, opening up opportunities for development, learning and changing lives. From hardship to modernity, PC Lai Chau affirms its pioneering role in the journey of "bringing light", contributing to brightening the appearance of Lai Chau - the land shining in the Northwest sky.

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/xa-hoi/hanh-trinh-thap-sang-vung-cao-cua-cong-ty-dien-luc-lai-chau-1173163