Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant – “Bright Spot” in Building a National Self-Reliant Energy Industry

ANTD.VN - From the success of the Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh affirmed the important role of the Plant in ensuring energy security, contributing to making Vietnam one of the leading countries in ASEAN in providing electricity.

Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant - a "special" project

The Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant Project (Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant) with a capacity of 1,200 MW (2x600 MW) started construction in 2015, invested by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group (Petrovietnam) and was completed and put into commercial operation on May 6, 2022. This is a coal-fired thermal power project with a large unit capacity, supercritical pulverized coal-fired boiler technology, consisting of 2 direct-flow units, direct combustion, 1-pass intermediate superheating, using burner technology to reduce NOx emissions; traditional condensing steam turbine, 1-stage intermediate superheating, steam extraction to heat feedwater, supercritical inlet steam parameters. The plant uses imported coal with an annual consumption of more than 3 million tons.

During the nearly 7 years of construction, Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant has faced many difficulties, challenges and is more "special" than many other thermal power projects.

The first "special" thing is that Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant is one of the first power projects to apply the contract price adjustment mechanism according to Decision No. 2414/QD-TTg, with difficulties in payment mechanism, norms, and unit prices, greatly affecting progress.

The difficult process of completing the Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant Project has contributed to affirming that Vietnamese people and Vietnamese enterprises completely master technologies and large projects.

Then, when the project was about to enter the final stage of completion, it faced a “special” difficulty: the Covid-19 pandemic. During that period, human resources, materials, and equipment were difficult to mobilize and were delayed, affecting the project’s progress. The number of foreign experts did not meet the needs for the factory’s system testing work, and domestic experts were difficult to mobilize and concentrate due to many localities applying social distancing measures…

However, the Project has received attention, support, and timely facilitation from the Government, Central and local ministries, departments, and branches; attention and close direction from the Group; efforts from the Song Hau 1 Oil and Gas Power Project Management Board (PMU), General Contractor LILAMA and subcontractors, and the joint efforts of thousands of workers at the construction site.

At the time of the serious outbreak of the epidemic, the Management Board of Song Hau 1 Project and the General Contractor LILAMA implemented many strict epidemic prevention and control measures such as arranging workers to work "3 on-site" (eating, living and working together for 6 consecutive months during the peak) or "1 route, 2 destinations" to minimize the risk of spreading the epidemic, completing important milestones such as first firing and synchronous grid connection of generators. In addition, researching and adjusting the Project plan accordingly, changing the construction progress of items, ensuring that work on the construction site is carried out; using internal resources to perform some tasks instead of foreign experts, minimizing the impact of the pandemic on the overall progress.

Another “special” point of the project is that the investor and the general contractor are both Vietnamese legal entities. In the context of having to deal with arising issues, Petrovietnam has directed the Project Management Board to coordinate with the General Contractor and subcontractors to skillfully regulate the work, completing the SH1 Thermal Power Plant project, ensuring quality, safety, stability and saving up to 500 billion VND compared to the total expected investment. The completion of the Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant project is both a testament to Petrovietnam’s remarkable maturity as an investor in key national energy projects and a “bright spot” in handling difficult projects.

From experience in completing the project, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh emphasized the importance of building a self-reliant industry, including the energy industry.

The difficult process of completing the project has contributed to affirming that Vietnamese people and Vietnamese enterprises completely master technologies and complete large projects.

Contribute significantly to ensuring national energy security

After more than 1 year of commercial operation, from July 1, 2023, the Oil and Gas Power Generation Branch (PVPGB) officially took over the management and operation of Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant. At the same time, Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant was also evaluated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as the best new power plant in 2023.

During the past time, the collective leadership, staff and workers of Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant have joined hands, promoted the spirit of "One team, One goal", overcome difficulties and obstacles, and strived to complete the production and business plan of each year. Thereby, contributing to meeting the demand for electricity supply for the national power system, reducing the pressure of power shortage due to the increasing demand for electricity according to the Government's urgent power projects program, and at the same time contributing to reducing the shortage for the Southern region and the Mekong Delta region.

Maintenance and repair work at the Factory is always performed well and regularly updated with additional contents and work items based on actual operating, maintenance and repair experience. As a result of the two periodic maintenance and repair periods in 2023 and 2024, the Factory completed both ahead of the approved plan, contributing to increasing the efficiency, capacity and electricity output of the Factory.

As of 02:25 on May 18, 2024, the Plant has reached the output milestone of 10 billion kWh of electricity. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the Plant will reach 13.55 billion kWh of electricity.

It is expected that by the end of 2024, Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant will reach 14.2 billion kWh of electricity.

It is estimated that by the end of October 2024, the Plant will have exceeded the assigned plan in terms of output and revenue targets compared to the approved annual plan. It is expected that by the end of 2024, the Plant's electricity output will exceed the plan by about 15%; total revenue will exceed the plan by 19%.

In addition to the results from production and business activities, from commercial operation to December 31, 2024, Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant contributed an estimated VND 924.29 billion to the State budget, contributing to socio-economic development. The plant has created jobs for many workers in Hau Giang province and neighboring provinces such as Vinh Long, Can Tho, and Soc Trang.

Social security work is identified by the Factory as a regular activity, of great significance in the process of operation and development. Every year, the Factory organizes activities to visit and encourage families with preferential policies, families in difficult circumstances on the occasion of traditional Tet, War Invalids and Martyrs Day, giving gifts/supporting children in the school year, exchanging cultural and sports activities, Mid-Autumn Festival, Children's Day... to strengthen the relationship between the Factory and local people.

The operation of Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant is of great significance, contributing to ensuring energy security; ensuring one of the five major balances of the economy; especially the fact that the investor and units have overcome many difficulties to have electricity flowing into the national power system.

In particular, the Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant project has become a "bright spot" in effectively piloting a number of mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and obstacles, contributing to building an independent, self-reliant, proactive and deeply integrated and effective economy.

“The plant's operation is of great significance, contributing to ensuring energy security, especially since the investor and units have overcome many difficulties to have electricity connected to the national power system, contributing to making Vietnam one of the leading countries in ASEAN in providing electricity”, this is the recognition of Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh for Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant at the time of the inauguration of the plant more than 2 years ago (July 16, 2022).

Source: https://www.anninhthudo.vn/nha-may-nhet-dien-song-hau-1-diem-sang-trong-xay-dung-cong-nghiep-nang-luong-tu-chu-quoc-gia-post595037.antd