Lighting up EVNGENCO1's journey of innovation: The person who "bridges the gap" from information technology to power plant control

In the innovation journey of the Power Generation Corporation 1 (EVNGENCO1), there are people who choose the difficult but sustainable path, where knowledge, technology and the spirit of autonomy intersect. Among them is Engineer Trinh Xuan Duy, Da Nhim - Ham Thuan - Da Mi Hydropower Joint Stock Company (DHD) - who proactively "crossed the bridge" to the world of power plant operations to master core technology, reduce dependence on external technology platforms and maximize internal strength.

Journey of mastery instead of dependence

Engineer Trinh Xuan Duy – the person who “bridged” from information technology to power plant operations

When he first started his career, Mr. Trinh Xuan Duy was in charge of managing the network, server and security systems of DHD. But the longer he worked at the factory, the more he realized the gap between “information technology” and “equipment operation” – two seemingly independent but closely related worlds in electricity production.

“If the operator does not have a deep understanding of the system, he will depend on the contractor. And if the IT engineer does not understand the working methods and protocols of the industrial systems in the hydropower plant, it will be difficult to come up with effective solutions,” Mr. Duy shared.

From those concerns, he began to learn about automatic control systems - the "hearts" of the factory such as: distributed control systems, monitoring - data collection and remote control and programmable logic controllers. Programming knowledge and data from the information technology platform helped him quickly grasp the structure, operation of the system, the principles of signal transmission and reception and synchronous operation.

Through the learning and experience process, he and his colleagues at DHD gradually formed a unique approach: combining digital knowledge with operational practices to create effective, safe and practical solutions. For him, the thinking is very clear: "To be sustainable, you must master core technology - not just know how to use it."

Mastering core technology

Engineer Trinh Xuan Duy and colleagues at OCC Center - a pioneering remote control system in Vietnam's electricity industry

The starting point for the journey of deep technology mastery at DHD is the Operation Control Center (OCC) system - the pioneering remote control system in the Vietnamese electricity industry. Since 2013, Mr. Trinh Xuan Duy has been involved throughout as a programmer - calibration tester. He directly built remote control connections, configured operational data and gradually integrated generators of DHD's hydropower plants into the system.

With the spirit of "dare to think, dare to do", he and the team of engineers at DHD have been proactive in mastering technology, maintaining OCC in good operation and ready to make adjustments when needed - helping to significantly reduce operating personnel, save costs and improve technical mastery capacity at the unit. This achievement was not only recognized by the Certificate of Merit from the Ministry of Industry and Trade in 2017, but also served as a foundation for the DHD engineering team to grow significantly - gradually mastering core technology, reducing dependence on foreign manufacturers.

Continuing that spirit, in recent years, he has continued to deploy many independent technical solutions, each of which addresses a separate requirement but all lead to the same goal: increasing initiative and reducing dependence.

An important milestone was when the HMI of the H5 Da Nhim Expansion Unit encountered a problem. Instead of waiting for support from foreign contractors, he and his team redesigned the system architecture, rebuilt the monitoring software, standardized data and configured warnings. The solution helped the system operate more stably, more economically and freed it from dependence on the old platform that had stopped supporting.

When the H1 Ham Thuan plant needed to replace expensive proprietary equipment, he and his engineers continued to develop another solution: using a general-purpose industrial computer combined with a control software installation process and testing using a simulation model. This approach not only significantly reduced investment costs but also increased flexibility for the domestic team.

Another initiative of him and the engineering team at DHD was to reprogram the SEL-3354 control device, a type of hardware that normally only the manufacturer has the right to intervene. The software restructuring helped the system operate stably on the new platform, increase information security and extend the device's life cycle.

These series of solutions take place at different times, each solution solves a separate problem, but together they are gradually strengthening DHD's technological autonomy, in line with the sustainable development orientation that EVNGENCO1 is pursuing.

With the experience accumulated through the practical process at DHD, Trinh Xuan Duy was also selected by EVNGENCO1 to join the Core Personnel Team for Science and Technology Application and Innovation of the Corporation. This role gives him the opportunity to share models, solutions and experience in mastering technology from DHD to other units; at the same time, he participates in contributing to activities promoting innovation throughout EVNGENCO1.

This is also an important step, showing that his contributions are not limited to one unit, but have spread more widely throughout the entire Corporation.

Spread the spirit of self-reliance

Launching ceremony of EVNGENCO1's Core Team of Science, Technology and Innovation Application

Always reminding himself that technology is only valuable when many people understand, work together and develop together, he and the engineering team at DHD have been gradually building a control system simulation environment - a "digital laboratory" to help engineers test configurations, test scenarios and practice handling situations without affecting actual operations.

This approach not only reduces the risk of configuration changes and shortens troubleshooting time, but also becomes a “pedestal” for young engineers to develop their autonomy. He understands that innovation does not lie in big slogans, but is demonstrated in every small action: understanding more, experimenting more, and daring to take responsibility for one’s career choices.

At work, Duy always emphasizes the role of the collective. Every small change, every new solution… is perfected from the sessions of exploring together, trying together - adjusting together - learning together. That companionship helps initiatives to be firmly put into practice and nurtures confidence, proactive spirit, "dare to think, dare to do, dare to innovate".

The flame of innovation is lit from that very spirit: when employees master core technology, the unit will master the future.

The campaign "Lighting up EVNGENCO1's journey of innovation" is a communication series aimed at spreading the spirit of innovation, application of science and technology and digital transformation in the spirit of Resolution 57-NQ/TW and strategic orientation of EVN/EVNGENCO1.

By honoring pioneers, sharing their creative journeys and inspiring them with authentic stories, the campaign aims to build a strong culture of innovation – where every employee, engineer and worker can contribute ideas, solutions and knowledge to create shared value.

Source: https://daibieunhandan.vn/thap-lua-hanh-trinh-doi-moi-sang-tao-cua-evngenco1-nguoi-bac-nhip-tu-cong-nghe-thong-tin-den-dieu-khien-nha-may-dien-10395766.html