Challenges in bringing electricity to mountainous regions.

Việt Nam•21/10/2023

When the national power grid was connected (early 2023), the people of Phiêng Páng village, Sính Phình commune (Tủa Chùa district) purchased rice milling machines to meet their daily needs.

Eliminating villages and hamlets without access to the national power grid is a key and ongoing task that local Party committees, authorities, and functional units in the province are particularly concerned about. Therefore, along with state investment, the province actively calls for and mobilizes investment resources, linked to the new rural development roadmap, to ensure that 100% of villages, hamlets, and households have access to the national power grid. However, due to the unique characteristics of the highlands and mountainous areas, many regions in the province still lack access to the national power grid.

As of May 2023, only 1 out of 5 villages in Tênh Phông commune (Tuần Giáo district) had access to the national power grid. The remaining 4 villages, with nearly 200 households – Há Dùa, Xá Tự, Thẳm Nặm, and Huổi Anh – were still waiting for electricity. Those with the means used electricity and water, and installed mini solar panels, while the majority relied on oil lamps for lighting. The lack of electricity significantly impacted the daily lives of the people, the education of children, and the overall work of the locality. In 2022, Tênh Phông commune provided loudspeakers to the villages, but due to the lack of electricity, the loudspeakers could not be used. The absence of the national power grid has significantly affected the implementation of Project 06, the digital transformation program for the people in the area.

According to statistics from Tuan Giao district, currently 21 out of 177 villages in the district, with a total of over 1,500 households, still do not have access to the national power grid. To expedite the connection of these villages to the national grid, Tuan Giao district has compiled a list and submitted it to the Department of Industry and Trade for submission to the Provincial People's Committee for inclusion in the provincial power development plan for the period 2016-2025. In 2021, the Provincial People's Committee approved the addition of projects to the investment plan for rural electrification from the national grid, including the investment in extending electricity to four highland villages in Tuan Giao district. However, funding has yet to be allocated.

In Tủa Chùa district, over the past period, various levels and sectors have made efforts to implement projects to bring electricity to highland villages and hamlets. However, for various reasons, many villages and hamlets still do not have access to the national power grid. For example, in Lao Xả Phình commune, currently 2 out of 6 villages (Cáng Phình and Chẻo Chữ Phình) with 139 households still lack access to the national power grid.

Mr. Mua Giong Chu, from Cang Phinh village, Lao Xa Phinh commune, shared: "Because there is no national power grid, the households in the village are at a great disadvantage, especially the children who don't have electricity to study. People find it difficult to watch TV, read the news, or apply science and technology to production. For many years, the people in the village have been hoping that the State will pay attention and create conditions for the national power grid to help them access civilized and progressive things. If we have the national power grid, my family plans to buy a refrigerator and a rice milling machine to serve our family and the people in the village."

According to Mr. Dinh Ba Thinh, Deputy Head of the Economic and Infrastructure Department of Tua Chua District, currently, 9 out of 120 villages in the district still lack access to the national power grid, and 65 villages have electricity but still have some households, totaling 1,715 households scattered across all 12 communes and towns, that are not yet connected to the national power grid. The highest numbers are in Trung Thu commune (355 households), Sin Chai (239 households), Xa Nha (223 households), Muong Bang (205 households), Lao Xa Phinh (139 households), and Ta Sin Thang (103 households). The reasons for this include the fragmented mountainous terrain, scattered population, and inadequate transportation infrastructure in many areas. Furthermore, the investment required for the power system is substantial, making it very difficult for the local authorities.

Not only Tuan Giao and Tua Chua districts, but Dien Bien province currently has the lowest rate of people using the national power grid in the country (at 92.5%). Of these, nearly 102,000 households in rural areas have access, reaching 91.34%; only 67 out of 115 communes in the province have met the electricity criteria for new rural development, leaving over 10,400 households without access to the national power grid. One of the biggest difficulties in investing in the power grid for villages and hamlets in ethnic minority areas is the complex terrain, fragmented by high mountain ranges, making it difficult to transport materials and investment capital for construction. In addition, the scattered and dispersed population means that power lines must be extended over long distances, leading to unreliable voltage.

Towards the 70th anniversary of the Dien Bien Phu Victory, Dien Bien province launched the "Brighten Dien Bien" program, aiming to build a rural electricity system by 2024, bringing electricity to 100% of villages and hamlets, with over 98% of households having access to electricity. To achieve this goal, contributing to poverty reduction and narrowing the development gap, significant efforts are needed from many sides, especially in mobilizing resources with a total investment of approximately 2,128 billion VND. However, such a large amount of resources will be difficult to mobilize in the short term and requires a roadmap. To facilitate investment in the power grid and avoid waste, local authorities also need to consider concentrated residential planning, as sparsely populated areas make it difficult to invest in a power grid system due to the high investment costs of the grid and substations.

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