Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) plans to complete the 500 kV Pleiku–My Phuoc–Cau Bong transmission line project by end-2013. The 9.28 trillion dong project spans 437 km across the provinces of Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Binh Phuoc, and Ho Chi Minh City. It aims to ensure the supply of electricity to the southern areas of the country by the 2014–15 period, as well as power grid connectivity across Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia by 2015. The project is partly funded by the Asian Development Bank, the Bank for Industry and Trade, and Vietnam Development Bank. In addition, EVN seeks to borrow 150 billion yen from the Japanese government’s development aid fund to implement the power projects between 2013 and 2015. The funds would be used to construct a transmission network in the south; develop generation facilities such as the Bac Ai hydroelectric plant and the Duyen Hai thermal power plant; and provide staff training for the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.
