Currently, the electrical needs of 300 households in Ngoc Vung commune, in the island district of Van Don, of Quang Ninh province is dependent completely on a small number of privately owned, electric generators.
An additional 2,000 households living in Quan Lan, Minh Chau, Ban Sen and Thang Loi communes are also looking for electricity supplied from the national grid..
In the last several years, the Party and State have implemented practical policies supporting the commune, by installing solar energy panels, for example, however, only partially meeting the ever increasing demands of the increasing population. Irregular supply of power at high cost has slowed development in the commune.
Mr Phan Van Khao, lives in Binh Ngoc village, Ngoc Vung commune shared: “I have been living here for 30 years. National power from the grid is something of a “luxury”. Everyday, we just enjoy only about 2-3 hours of power for lighting and television, but it costs about VND300,000-400,000 a month”.
Sharing his thoughts, Ms Nguyen Thi Thuan, a hostel owner in the island district of Van Don reported that she would have to pay VND600,000 per night for tourist’s electricity consumption, an extremely high tariff.
“Our business community is expected to have access to national grid power very soon.”
The Quang Ninh provincial electricity company on April 19 inaugurated a project to provide electricity for five island communes in Van Don district. Under the project which is worth VND312 billion, 43 kilometers of electricity cable and 9 transformer stations will be built in Quan Lan and Minh Chau communes; 41 kilometers of electricity cable and five transformer stations will be built in Thang Loi and Ngoc Vung communes; 41 kilometers of electricity line, and 6 transformer stations will be built in Ban Sen commune with 1,983 power counters.
On July 22, the Quang Ninh provincial electricity company and relevant agencies announced the final decisions on directions of power lines and transformer stations, thus paving the way for Van Don district to direct its communes in site clearing activities.
“Completion of the project is expected before the 2015 lunar New Year. It plays an important role in socio-economic development, defence and security and essential maintenance of the commune , helping us to finalize all targets of the new rural model. We just successfully mobilized the people to voluntarily contribute their land for power pole sites. Their strong support is warmly welcomed”, said Mr Hoang Van Quang - Ngoc Vung communal Party Secretary.
Mr Phung Trung Kien, Vice Head of Planning and Investment under the Quang Ninh provincial electricity company expressed his hope that contractors/sub contractors should accelerate the project’s speed, aiming to complete by late 2014.
Once operational, it will actively contribute to develop Van Don island district into a special economic zone./.