BPO - Originating from the highland mountains, the Be River is over 350km long, flowing through the provinces of Binh Phuoc and Binh Duong before converging with the Dong Nai River. Although it is not a large river in the country, with the characteristic of flowing through many mountains, hills, waterfalls and rapids, the Be River has a fairly high energy value.
Since 1982-1983, the potential for hydropower development on the Be River and Dong Nai River was discovered by experts in the electricity industry. However, the economy at that time was still facing many difficulties, so Vietnam could not immediately invest in building hydropower projects on the Be River, but focused resources on building the Tri An Hydropower Plant.
Faced with the increasing demand for electricity in the South, exploiting electricity from the Be River to serve socio-economic development is being considered.
Exploiting hydropower to serve socio-economic development
On the morning of November 20, 1991, after the sound of mine explosions resounded in a corner of the old Phuoc Long war zone forest, Thac Mo Hydropower Plant was officially started construction amid the joy and expectations of the Party Committee, government and people of Song Be province at that time.
According to the design, the plant has 2 generators with a total capacity of 150MW, producing 610 million kWh/year. In addition to the task of generating electricity, the project is also an important water reserve, ensuring water security, proactively supplying water in the dry season and reducing floods for downstream areas during the rainy and stormy season.
Construction of Thac Mo Hydropower Plant started (November 20, 1991)
The trust and expectation for the project were very high, however, when starting construction, the Thac Mo Hydropower Project Management Board encountered many difficulties that seemed insurmountable. In that context, Thac Mo Hydropower Plant was continuously present at the construction site by leaders from the central to local levels to direct and encourage. Comrades Vo Van Kiet, Tran Duc Luong, Le Duc Anh, Phan Van Khai, Nguyen Minh Triet promptly supported to remove difficulties, especially in finance and mechanisms so that the project's construction progress would not be interrupted, because this project was implemented during the period when the socialist bloc in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union collapsed... Thac Mo Hydropower Plant no longer had the kind support and help like Tri An Hydropower Plant and Song Da Hydropower Plant before.
Exchange goods for hydroelectric plant equipment
Mr. Nguyen Ba Man, former Director of the Thac Mo Hydropower Project Management Board, said that at that time, the Government had a policy that foreign currency could only be used for three things, including: buying gasoline and oil for the economy - iron and steel for industry and fertilizer for agriculture . In addition, foreign currency could not be used for other things, and hydropower equipment could not be made without foreign currency because it was specialized, synchronous and modern equipment. In that situation, when he learned that Russia and Ukraine were also in crisis, he thought of a way to exchange goods for hydropower equipment. Fortunately, this idea was approved by the Government for Thac Mo Hydropower to apply.
The mechanism for purchasing equipment has been solved, the next problem is human resources for design - construction - operation. Mr. Nguyen Cuong Lam, former Deputy General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group, said that Tri An Hydropower Plant was designed by the Soviet Union from the construction drawings. Meanwhile, Thac Mo is the first large hydropower project chaired by Vietnamese consultants to establish economic - technical arguments and technical design, construction drawing design. This is also the first hydropower project in the country to successfully start the electricity industry to self-finance investment capital for the construction of the plant and was built in the context of urgent demand for electricity supply for economic development of the country and the southern region. From the experience of Thac Mo, it has paved the way for Power Construction Consulting Joint Stock Company 2 to continue to proactively consult and design many larger-scale hydropower projects in the country.
Flexible recruitment
One of the biggest challenges Thac Mo Hydropower Plant faced was recruiting and training personnel with appropriate expertise, especially during the transition from the old system to the new system. Mr. Phan A, former Deputy Director of the Production Preparation Board of Thac Mo Hydropower Plant, said that at that time, many creative measures had to be used, such as finding personnel from universities, recruiting bachelors in physics, then organizing additional training courses, and building cooperative relationships with universities to solve the problem in a long-term way.
Mr. Tran Phu Thai, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Power Generation Corporation 2, awarded certificates of merit from the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises to 2 groups and 8 individuals who have made many contributions to the development of Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company.
With many creative and unprecedented ways, along with the continuous efforts of the leadership and workers, on January 6, 1995, Unit 1 of the plant officially connected to the national grid on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the Phuoc Long victory. As a surprising coincidence of history, 4 months later, on April 30, 1995, Unit 2 also brought power to the national system in the joy of the great victory day of the Vietnamese people - 20 years of the complete liberation of the South and the reunification of the country.
Mr. Nguyen Cuong Lam, former Deputy General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group, affirmed that thanks to the participation of the entire local political system, the site clearance work was very favorable. In addition, legal procedures related to investment and construction of the project were also promptly resolved. "At that time, after the power generation was completed, I could not imagine that a project that from the time of commencement to then was generating electricity was 3 years and 5 months, the dream had come true" - Mr. Lam recalled.
Two units with a total capacity of 150MW connected to the national grid when the 500kV line 1 operated stably contributed significantly to basically solving the power shortage in the South. Not only that, Thac Mo Hydropower Plant had “changed the skin and flesh” of the northern districts of Song Be province at that time, especially Phuoc Long district (now Phuoc Long town).
Equitization and implementation of repair services
After nearly 11 years of establishment, on March 30, 2005, Thac Mo Hydropower Plant was transformed into Thac Mo Hydropower Company, an independent accounting member of Vietnam Electricity Corporation, now Vietnam Electricity Group - EVN.
As part of the restructuring and equitization roadmap of the electricity industry to improve operational efficiency and promote development, on January 1, 2008, Thac Mo Hydropower Company officially transformed into Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company, with a charter capital of VND 700 billion, of which EVN holds 51.92%. After equitization, the production scale and market expanded, production and business efficiency were maintained and improved.
In 2010, the company established the Electromechanical Service and Repair Center (MSC), with a team of professional, well-trained, responsible staff and workers, combined with an effective and modern management system according to ISO 17025:2005 (VILAS). Therefore, not only does it perform major and regular repairs at the unit's factories to ensure quality, progress and cost savings, MSC's electromechanical equipment service and repair work is also highly appreciated by customers. Expanding services to the outside has brought in significant revenue, helping the company's service revenue increase compared to the set plan.
Invest in expanding business scale
In addition to improving technology and enhancing production and business efficiency, the company also constantly expands its scale through investing in businesses.
In 2009, the company invested in Dong Nai Electricity Mechanical Joint Stock Company, Dong Nai province, owning 10% of shares. Also in 2009, the company continued to invest in Quang Ninh Thermal Power Joint Stock Company, Quang Ninh province, owning 3% of shares. The plant has a capacity of 1,200MW. From 2009-2014, it invested in its subsidiary, My Hung Tay Nguyen Joint Stock Company, Lam Dong province, owning 99.78% of shares. Continuing to expand its business, from 2010-2012, Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company invested in its subsidiary, Dakrosa Hydropower Joint Stock Company, Gia Lai province, owning 61.17% of shares.
Facing the trend of renewable energy development, from 2009-2021, investing in an affiliated unit, Thuan Binh Wind Power Joint Stock Company, Binh Thuan province, owning 20% of shares. Currently, Thuan Binh Wind Power Joint Stock Company has 3 wind power plants with 25 towers, capacity of nearly 80MW.
Expand the scale and increase the power output of the system
In 2014, with the approval of Vietnam Electricity Group, the company started construction of the Thac Mo Hydropower Plant expansion, increasing the plant's capacity from 150MW to 225MW, adding 52 million kWh/year to the national power system. The total investment of the project is 1,588 billion VND, of which ODA loans account for 85%, the remaining 15% is counterpart capital of Vietnam Electricity Group.
In July 2017, the project was completed and put into operation. The Thac Mo Hydropower Plant Extension is a hydropower project that minimizes environmental, land and social impacts from construction to operation. In particular, the project is also an important economic solution, contributing a large amount of electricity to the South.
In the trend of developing renewable energy and to make the most of available resources, the company has decided to invest in building the Thac Mo solar power plant with a capacity of 50MWp in Phuoc Long town and Bu Gia Map district.
On August 12, 2020, the project started construction. Due to good preparation of human resources and materials, only 2 months later, on December 10, 2020, the plant was put into commercial operation. The solar power plant put into operation contributed to increasing the electricity output for Thac Mo by more than 71 million kWh per year.
Thac Mo Hydropower Plant today
Currently, Thac Mo Hydropower Plant and the company's solar power project have provided electricity directly to the Southeast and Southern Central Highlands regions, with routes: 171 (Dong Xoai - Phu Giao), 172 (Binh Long - Ben Cat) and 173 (Loc Ninh - Tay Ninh 4).
Thanks to that, the electrification program in Binh Phuoc has been strongly promoted, contributing to the rapid socio-economic development of Binh Phuoc. In 2024, Binh Phuoc's economic growth rate increased by 9.32% compared to 2023, exceeding the set plan, ranking first in the Southeast region and 11th in the country.
Mr. Nguyen Van Non, General Director of Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company, said that over the past 30 years, the company has produced more than 22 billion kWh. To achieve that result, the role of the workers is very important. The company pays great attention to its staff, workers and employees, constantly training them to improve their technical expertise, political theory as well as their material life. Thereby, the company has a team of highly skilled staff, attached to the company, dedicated to building and developing.
Active in social work and contribution to the state budget
Over the past 30 years, Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company has always made efforts to care for people with meritorious services, give gifts to poor households, establish a border guard station on the border, contribute to the Covid-19 prevention and control fund, donate school equipment, etc. Every year, the company spends more than 2 billion VND to support programs such as building charity houses, taking care of the lives of disadvantaged families, giving Tet gifts to the poor and contributing to education. These programs not only demonstrate the company's social responsibility but also contribute to improving the quality of life of people in Binh Phuoc province.
Vice Chairman of Binh Phuoc Provincial People's Committee Tran Van Mi emphasized that in addition to electricity production and ensuring energy security, Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company is a typical unit in fulfilling its obligation to pay the state budget, contributing an average of more than 250 billion VND to the provincial budget every year. This is an important source of revenue to help Binh Phuoc province invest in developing essential areas such as health, education, transport infrastructure and many other public services.
During the process of formation, construction and development, the company has achieved many proud achievements: being awarded the Third Class Labor Medal by the State in 2002, the Second Class Labor Medal in 2010, the First Class Labor Medal in 2015 and many other noble titles from the Power Generation Corporation 2, Vietnam Electricity Group, the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, and the People's Committee of Binh Phuoc Province.
Prospects for ecotourism development
With a basin of 2,200km2 , an open surface area of 110km2 , and a reservoir capacity of 1.36 billion cubic meters, Thac Mo Lake is the third largest in the Southern region. In the dry season, the plant maintains a stable flow, providing the necessary water source for industry, agriculture and people's daily life. At the same time, it improves the climate and environment, attracts and develops eco-tourism.
During 30 years of construction and development, Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company has contributed significantly to the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country; fostered and built an extremely valuable tradition, which is the tradition of brave, diligent, intelligent and creative labor; the tradition of honesty, solidarity, unity of will and action of all collectives and individuals in each unit.
Thac Mo Hydropower Plant received the First Class Labor Medal
From that tradition, the mission of Thac Mo Hydropower Joint Stock Company is to bring satisfaction to customers, ensuring the sustainable development of the company through providing products with increasingly perfect quality.
In the spring atmosphere and with pride in the achievements after 30 years of connecting to the national grid, the staff and workers of Thac Mo Hydropower Plant welcome the new spring with a jubilant and bustling atmosphere. At the same time, they are determined to maintain the achievements, focus on expanding production and business activities, exploiting the existing potential to the fullest and promoting investment in new projects in the field of renewable energy, striving to double the existing capacity by 2030 in accordance with the direction of Power Generation Corporation 2.
Moreover, the staff and workers of Thac Mo Hydropower Plant are determined to strictly carry out the "order from the heart", ensuring safe and stable operation of the national power grid, bringing light to everyone, every home, contributing to the spring of the homeland and country.
Source: https://baobinhphuoc.com.vn/news/4/168402/thuy-dien-thac-mo-30-nam-thap-sang-niem-tin
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