State-owned Electricity of Vietnam’s (EVN) transmission subsidiary National Power Transmission Corporation (EVN NPT) has sought assistance from ADB to finance the Northern to Central 500 kV Transmission Grid Reinforcement Project.
The project is a part of the country’s Revised National Power Development Master Plan 2011-20 (Revised Power Development Plan [PDP] VII) and will involve the construction of three 500 kV double-circuit lines (approximately 372 circuit km) from northern to central Vietnam, ensuring more reliable power supply to load centres. Under it, EVN NPT will also install an intelligent transmission line monitoring system for efficient and proactive operation and maintenance, which will be the first intelligent monitoring system in Vietnam introduced by ADB. The three segments under the project are the Nam Dinh-Thanh Hoa, Thanh Hoa-Quynh Lap, and Quynh Lap-Vung Ang transmission lines.
The $200 million project was proposed in September 2017 and is yet to receive approval from ADB. EVN NPT will soon float a tender to appoint a consultant to start project preparatory technical assistance for the project.