Efforts to supply electricity to Bich Dam

Since 2009, 210 households with 867 residents in Bich Dam residential area (on Hon Tre island) have only had access to electricity for 4 hours a day, powered by a diesel generator from 5 PM to 9 PM. For most of the remaining time, residents rely on oil lamps, batteries, or other makeshift lighting methods. The lack of electricity not only affects daily life but also the livelihoods of the island's inhabitants. The current generator's maximum capacity is only about 82kW, while the actual demand, according to forecasts, reaches 351.14kW. This large discrepancy causes overload, weak electricity, and insufficient power to meet the needs of production activities, especially seafood harvesting and processing in Bich Dam.

Bich Dam at night.

Based on the above situation, the Provincial People's Committee requested relevant units to discuss and find the optimal solution for the Bich Dam power supply problem. Accordingly, there will be three options for power supply: extending the national power grid, investing in rooftop solar power systems, and upgrading generator capacity. Of these, investing in the national power grid is considered the most fundamental and long-term solution for Bich Dam. However, this option faces many difficulties. Because in the draft General Plan for power supply to Nha Trang City until 2040, the Bich Dam area will be supplied with electricity via a 22kV underground cable from the 110kV Vinpearl substation, with a length of about 15km. Mr. Tran Dang Hien, Deputy General Director of Khanh Hoa Power Corporation, stated: "After conducting a detailed survey, we found that investing in a 15km underground cable line from Vinpearl to Bich Dam is not feasible at the present time. The planned underground cable line would have to pass through rugged mountainous terrain with complex geological conditions, and there is almost no available land for construction. This would not only drive up costs significantly but also create problems related to land clearance, tree felling, leveling, and impacting the environment and natural landscape."

The rooftop solar power option is highly regarded for its sustainability and environmental friendliness, aligning with Khanh Hoa's green development orientation. However, Mr. Nguyen Van Minh, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Nha Trang City, also pointed out the inherent drawbacks of this option, such as: the initial investment cost for the solar power system is very high; power generation capacity is entirely dependent on weather conditions. On rainy or cloudy days, electricity production will decrease significantly, and there will be no electricity at night. Energy storage is a major challenge with current technology, is expensive, and is not truly effective for the entire residential area.

The residents of Bich Dam only have electricity for 4 hours each day, powered by diesel generators.

The people of Bich Dam only have electricity for 4 hours each day, powered by diesel generators.

Ultimately, upgrading to diesel generators remains the most feasible option under current conditions. After carefully analyzing the advantages and disadvantages, Khanh Hoa Power Corporation, the People's Committee of Nha Trang City, and the Department of Industry and Trade all determined this to be the most feasible and effective solution in the current context. Mr. Nguyen Trong Hoang, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade, affirmed: "Although we know that diesel generators are not a long-term solution, for now, this is the most feasible option to quickly improve the severe electricity shortage situation in Bich Dam. We unanimously recommend that the Provincial People's Committee immediately invest in a solution to ensure electricity supply for daily life, production, and tourism activities on the island."

If the option of upgrading the diesel generators is chosen, two 500kVA generators (many times the capacity of the current ones) will be purchased in the near future to ensure sufficient power and allow for alternating operation, increasing reliability and equipment lifespan. Along with this, a synchronized infrastructure will be built to improve power supply times. Power generation time will be significantly increased from 4 hours to 16 hours per day (from 7 AM to 11 PM). This timeframe will cover most of the daily activities, including studying, production, and business, of the people.

Regarding this matter, Mr. Le Huu Hoang - Member of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee, Permanent Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee, and Permanent Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee of the Provincial People's Committee - affirmed that providing electricity to Bich Dam ensures both socio -economic development and national security and defense. Therefore, he agreed that in the long term, the option of investing in the national power grid system to serve electricity supply in Bich Dam would remain. Mr. Le Huu Hoang instructed Khanh Hoa Power Corporation to review and study the electricity planning of Nha Trang City and general regulations to prepare a report to the Department of Industry and Trade on the immediate and long-term electricity supply plan for Bich Dam residential area, clearly defining the time and implementation roadmap. In the short term, to serve the electricity needs of Bich Dam residents, he instructed the Nha Trang City People's Committee to coordinate with Khanh Hoa Power Corporation to study and develop a plan to invest in additional generators and equipment to provide electricity to residents for a longer period than currently. The Department of Finance is tasked with researching and allocating both short-term and long-term provincial budget funds to the Nha Trang City People's Committee to implement this electricity supply plan.

DINH LAM

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/xa-hoi/202506/no-luc-cap-dien-cho-bich-dam-2fb6898/