500kV Song Hau – Duc Hoa transmission line on the way to the finish line

The 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line, undertaken by the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), is constructed with the purpose of transmitting power generated by the Song Hau 1 and Song Hau 2 power plants in the Southwest region to the central load center of Ho Chi Minh City and neighboring provinces. The project is currently in its phase 1, and the Southern Power Project Management Board (SPMB) and relevant units are expediting its completion by December 2019, in accordance with the guidance of EVNNPT.

Mr. Dang Phan Tuong, Chairman of EVNNPT, inspected the progress of construction at poles 05 and 06 crossing the Hau River for the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line.

A delegation from EVNNPT, led by Mr. Dang Phan Tuong, Chairman of the Board of Directors, recently conducted an inspection of the progress at poles 05 and 06, where the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line crosses the Hau River.

During the site visit, Mr. Dang Phan Tuong mentioned that these are the tallest electricity poles in Vietnam to date. The poles have a height of 175 meters, with a distance of 1.378 meters between them. The project is being urgently implemented by various units to ensure the completion of Phase 1 by December 2019.

Due to the difficulty and complexity of erecting these poles and stringing wires at these two positions, it requires considerable time, and completing this segment with the two poles significantly impacts the overall progress of the entire project. EVNNPT has instructed the SPMB (the project management unit) and Power Transmission Company 4 (supervision and consulting unit, responsible for taking over the transmission line for management and operation) to coordinate and support Power Construction Company 1 (PCC1) in ensuring the construction progresses on schedule and meets quality standards for these two positions, as well as for the entire project.

To reach the site, the working delegation had to travel by ferry to cross the Hau River. At this time, during the flood season, there is frequent rainfall. Experiencing these conditions firsthand helps to understand the difficulties and challenges faced by the personnel involved in the construction of the project.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of EVNNPT, Mr. Dang Phan Tuong, presented gifts to encourage the workers of Power Construction Company 1 (PCC1) involved in the construction at positions 05-06 of the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line.

According to Mr. Vo Hong Quang, Deputy General Director of PCC1, due to the proximity of the two poles to the riverbank, the construction site is very cramped, making it challenging to gather materials. This significantly impacts the construction process, with each position requiring more than 1.000m3 of concrete, taking almost four months to complete the pole foundation. To transport the poles (weighing around 800 tons each) to their positions, PCC1 had to rent a large barge for transportation and use two cranes, one 450-ton and one 50-ton, for construction. However, the 450-ton crane only assisted in erecting the poles up to a height of 100 meters. For the higher sections, PCC1 had to manually assemble them. It's worth noting that during high-altitude construction, wind-induced vibrations in the poles posed significant challenges to the construction process. By combining machinery and manual methods, each pole position required two months to complete.

Chairman of the Board of Directors of EVNNPT, Mr. Dang Phan Tuong, presented gifts to encourage the workers of Power Construction Company 1 (PCC1) involved in the construction at positions 05-06 of the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line. 

According to Mr. Vo Hong Quang - Deputy General Director of PCC1: Due to the location of 2 columns near the riverbank, the construction site is very narrow, difficult to gather materials, greatly affecting the construction process. The location has more than 1,000m3 of concrete, so it took nearly 4 months to finish pouring the column foundation. To transport the column (weighing about 800 tons/column) to the location, PCC1 had to hire a large barge to transport and use 2 crane trucks, 01 450-ton truck and 01 50-ton truck to serve the construction. However, the 450 ton crane also only supports the construction and erection of columns to a height of 100 m. The higher column part, PCC1 must be installed manually. It is worth mentioning that when constructing at height, due to the influence of the wind, the column has a large vibration, causing a lot of difficulties for the construction process. By combining means and using manual methods, each position of PCC1 column must be erected within 2 months to complete.

EVNNPT's Chairman of the Board of Directors Dang Phan Tuong gave gifts to encourage PTC4 staff to supervise the construction of 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa power line

The distance between poles 05 and 06 across the Hau River is 1.378 meters, but the entire span of the wire pull is almost 2.900 meters. The Hau River is an international shipping route managed by the Southern Port Authority. Since this river section frequently has large vessels moving through, PCC1 will use Navi Plycam flying equipment to deploy baited lines for pulling cables at this pole section. "We are striving to complete the cable pull for this pole section before December 15th, 2019, for handover to the investor to prepare for Phase 1 of electrification," emphasized Mr. Quang.

Mr. Truong Huu Thanh, Director of SPMB, stated that the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line, with a length of 133 km, is designed with two circuits, using 4-phase ACSR 600/76 wires. For the spans across the Hau River and Tien River, enhanced-phase wires of 4 AACSR 635/117 are used. Currently, SPMB is focusing on completing the electrification of Phase 1 of the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line in mid-December 2019 to supply electricity for the trial operation of Song Hau 1 Thermal Power Plant. The first phase is 36.65 km long, covering 78 positions. To date, the construction contractors have completed casting foundations for all 78 positions, erected 64 out of 78 poles, and are currently pulling cables. For the second phase, which is 96.35 km long and involves 190 pole positions, SPMB has handed over 24 foundation positions, approved compensation plans for 164 households, is conducting a compensation survey for 1.958 households, and plans to energize the second phase by the end of 2020.

Positions 05-06 of the 500kV Song Hau - Duc Hoa Transmission Line are under construction by Power Construction Company 1, marking the tallest 500kV poles in Vietnam to date.