July is the rainy season in Lao Cai . Every time the water pours down, the dirt road leading to the VT93 pole in Bao Yen commune becomes muddy and sticky to people's feet. However, when the rain stops, the sun shines, and the ground dries, the workers at the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV transmission line project return to the construction site with the determination to "make up for lost time and rush work" to complete the schedule.
Hanging from an electric pole in the scorching sun
2:30 pm in summer, the weather is extremely hot, the outdoor temperature is now over 40ºC. Our working group is present at the location of power pole 369 at the 500kV Lao Cai - Vinh Yen transmission line project and immediately feels the working atmosphere is equally "hot".
Wiping sweat on his wet shirt, Nguyen Duc Son, a pole installer at the construction site, asked his co-workers to help him with the work, so he could take a few minutes to rest and drink some cool water.
“In the past 2 months of working in 3 positions, I only had 1 day off. The work is extremely urgent to keep up with the schedule, so everyone is trying their best. Every day, work starts at 5:30 a.m. to take advantage of the time when it is not too sunny, and at 10:30 a.m., we take a break because of the harsh weather, then continue in the afternoon. Sometimes when the sun is too hot, we have to take turns going to a cool place to drink water and ask our colleagues for help,” Son shared.
Workers climb up and hug the electric pole in hot conditions, with temperatures over 40ºC.
Mr. Son added that every day here, 29 workers coordinate with each other to raise the electric poles. " Each time, the people standing below tie the iron poles tightly to the specialized crane, raise their hands to signal to raise them up. When the iron poles are raised high enough, the group of people above begin to place the poles in the right position, the workers hug the electric poles that are hot because of the sun and then screw them into the joints. Almost every time we are soaked, the sweat on our shirts soaking into the poles, " Mr. Son said about the difficulties of working at high altitudes in the blazing weather.
Mr. Nguyen Duc Son took a few moments to rest at the construction site.
VT93 column is located on a hill more than a hundred meters above sea level. The height of the column is 83m. The sun is scorching hot, the heat is absorbed into the metal column body. When in contact with the column body, the workers who installed the column were fully equipped with protective gear but still could not help but feel uncomfortable. The sweat that dripped down also evaporated quickly.
In addition, due to the uneven ground, the foundation of column 93 is offset, the columns have a difference of up to 6m, requiring high technical requirements and a lot of effort to install. Despite the difficulties, the workers still maintain their determination to complete on time, not afraid of hardship.
Although I have heard a lot, I have to come to the construction site of the 500kV Lao Cai - Vinh Yen power line project and witness it with my own eyes to see the difficulties, hardships, and fierceness because the construction terrain is mainly on hills and mountains, the weather is harsh, and the work intensity is urgent without time to rest.
This is one of the national key projects, the total length of the route is 229.5km, passing through 2 provinces including Lao Cai and Phu Tho . The Prime Minister issued the order to start construction on March 16 and requested to complete the project's power supply before August 19. Construction took just over 5 months, so the "speed-up campaign" was put into operation, despite countless difficulties and hardships.
To complete the huge amount of work, every day there are still thousands of workers working hard, tirelessly, and wholeheartedly at the construction site. With the spirit of "overcoming the sun, overcoming the rain", "eating quickly, sleeping urgently" and determined to work in "3 shifts" as directed by the Prime Minister , all human resources of the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV transmission line project always expect to finish on time.
Workers with the spirit of "overcoming the sun, overcoming the rain" are determined to speed up the completion of the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV transmission line project.
The scorching heat makes the workers' daily work more difficult.
Difficulty in bringing materials to the top of the hill
One of the special difficulties in the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV transmission line project is that many column foundation locations are located on hilltops and halfway up steep mountains, making it very difficult and dangerous to transport materials and organize construction.
In order to reduce the slope and facilitate the transportation of materials and equipment, the service road to the column foundation is divided into small sections and constructed in sections. Many points even have to use many different types of vehicles to get there.
For example, the location of power pole 140 in Lam Thuong commune, Lao Cai. The mountain road is about 1.8km long, with a slope of about 60 degrees, winding and zigzagging, with a section of road lying between two steep mountain slopes, forming a narrow road. Standing at the foot of the mountain looking up at the construction site, I wondered how they could get the materials up there.
The team had to use three vehicles to get to the construction site, traveling in several trips. The first trip was on a tractor pulled up the mountain by a bulldozer. The vehicle in front was responsible for leveling rough areas and removing obstacles. Only vehicles with mountain climbing capabilities could navigate the terrain.
When we reached the narrow section of the road, the bulldozer could hardly continue to move the tractor through. We switched to a special construction site pickup truck. From there, the high-chassis, powerful truck still had to slowly climb the extremely high mountain road and push everyone to the top.
The rugged mountain road to reach column 140 in Lam Thuong commune, Lao Cai
Because the mountain road is long and steep, personnel wanting to reach the location must use many different types of vehicles.
At noon, the workers took advantage of the heat to escape the heat in their simple shelters. Although they were resting, sweat still streamed down their sunburned skin.
Mr. Van Minh Tam, manager of the 3HH package, who is currently at the construction site of the 140 power pole, shared: “The work here is very difficult due to the rugged terrain, many hills and steep slopes. Road opening also takes a lot of time. The steel pipes are long and heavy, and must be divided into many sections to gradually transport them to the site. All personnel are determined and working hard to bring all items of this project to the finish line.”
The consensus and coordination not only of the workers but also of many management units, authorities and even the army, helps the project progress faster and faster, reaching the finish line on time.
At column number 140, we met Senior Lieutenant Do Duc Anh, commander of the 174th Regiment, 316th Division, Military Region 2 (Ministry of National Defense), who was assisting in transporting materials and building the foundation of the project.
He said: “A few days ago, there was heavy rain here. The road was flooded, mud flowed, and specialized vehicles could not bring machinery, equipment, and materials to the construction site. We had to use hoes and shovels to dredge the mud, flatten it so that the service road could move more easily, and support the construction unit to load materials, iron, and formwork onto the vehicle to transport to the construction site. In addition, we had to dredge and tie iron at the base of the column to keep up with the concrete pouring schedule.”
Since early June, Military Region 2 has coordinated with the Project Board to send soldiers to support the most difficult items. 121 soldiers of Regiment 174, Division 326 are simultaneously coordinating with the competition unit at 3 different pole points.
Troops of Military Region 2 repair roads, transport materials, and support the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV transmission line project.
The soldiers worked with the workers so that the project could be completed as soon as possible.
Leaving the location of pole 140, we went to the location of pole 369 in Phu Ninh commune (Phu Tho province). The construction site is located on a plot of land near the Lo river. To build pole positions across the river like that, the technical units must calculate in detail and carefully because the line will be longer. The pole here is up to 130m high, the highest in the entire Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500kV line project.
Leaders of all units were on site with staff and workers, directly resolving problems on the spot. Mr. Ho Van Thang, construction team leader of Manh Truong Son Construction Company emphasized: “This is the highest pole position on the entire line with a height of 130m and a weight of 352 tons. However, it had to be built on rice fields. We had to buy more soil and rocks to pour into the foundation. For high positions, the unit had to hire a 500-ton crane to be able to bring the materials to the desired location. Workers on the poles must also have experience and good expertise because the higher the pole, the more difficult the installation. But all personnel worked hard to work together to 'overcome the sun and rain', speeding up the completion of the poles they were in charge of to meet the schedule on August 19.”
Pole 369 is one of the most difficult poles to construct on the entire 500kV Lao Cai - Vinh Yen line. However, up to now, this project has completed 90% of the items.
On the hot construction site, the workers are still working hard.
Mr. Bui Phuong Nam, Director of Power Project Management Board 1 shared: "The countdown clock is now only about a month away from completion. I am also worried. I am determined, the materials and equipment are ready, but I am worried that the erratic weather will affect the progress. Materials are urgently gathered at the foot of the project. Nearly 100% of the column foundations have been completed, and we have started to pull and lay wires at many anchor points. We are all present at the construction site. We strive to complete the energization on August 19. This is the task assigned by the Prime Minister to the electricity sector and the cadres and people of Lao Cai and Phu Tho provinces."
Lessons from previous projects show that the determination and efforts of the team of workers and laborers are the key factors determining the progress and quality of the project. Last year, the 500kV line 3, Quang Trach - Pho Noi, 519km long, was completed after just over 6 months of construction, a rare feat. This year, the 500kV line Lao Cai - Vinh Yen is expected to set a new milestone for Vietnam Electricity.
Source: https://vtcnews.vn/hanh-trinh-vuot-nang-thang-mua-tai-du-an-duong-day-500kv-lao-cai-vinh-yen-ar954636.html
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