On January 5, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung issued an order to start construction of Lai Chau hydropower plant - a hydropower project of great socio-economic significance not only for Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces but also for the whole region. Northwest.

Lai Chau hydropower plant was built in Nam Hang commune, Muong Te district, in the Power Plan VI approved by the Government and invested by Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).

The plant has a designed capacity of 1,200 MW, a total investment of about VND 35,700 billion, an average annual electricity output of 4.67 billion kWh, excluding additional increases for Son La and Hoa Binh hydropower plants.

By design, Lai Chau hydropower reservoir is located in the area of Muong Te district; The whole project will be completed in 2017.

At the groundbreaking ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung stated that prioritizing the development of hydropower projects, especially multi-purpose projects, is a consistent policy of the Party and State, including Lai Chau hydropower plant with many benefits such as supplying electricity to the national power system, contributing to hydropower plants on the Da River to serve the flood control in the rainy season, supplying water in the dry season to the Northern Delta, serving the socio-economic development of of Lai Chau and Dien Bien provinces and the whole Northwest region, ensuring national security and defense in the Northwest region.

On behalf of the Government, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung warmly commended the Party Committee, authorities and people of ethnic groups in Lai Chau province and Muong Te district for not being afraid of difficulties, willing and actively carrying out migration work. , resettlement, giving up land for the construction of works, for the future electricity of the Fatherland.

The Prime Minister also highly appreciated and warmly commended the efforts of EVN and consulting units in the process of project investment preparation, and praised the Vietnam Construction Industry Corporation and contractors including LILAMA10 for having complete the necessary work items, prepare the ground for the start of the project.

In order for the project to be implemented on schedule, with quality and efficiency, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung asked EVN to closely coordinate with contractors and build the plant to ensure compliance with current regulations on investment management. construction, work quality, labor safety and strictly comply with the commitments in the contract signed between the contractor and the investor, ensuring the project's set schedule is the construction of the construction diversion items. Phase 1 to ensure safe flood control in 2011, to fill the river in March 2012, generate electricity for unit 1 in the first quarter of 2016 and complete the entire project in early 2017.

The People's Committee of Lai Chau province, the authorities and people of the project area need to do well the work of compensation, support, migration and resettlement, hand over the site on schedule for the project, and at the same time ensure order. social safety in the area, especially during the construction process.

The province needs to ensure that resettled people have a really better life than their old place of residence, both in terms of production and daily life such as travelling, children's education, medical examination and treatment of the compatriots...; combine resettlement with population rearrangement in the area, associated with hunger eradication and poverty reduction, stabilizing people's long-term lives.

In addition, the Prime Minister also requested to ensure the requirements for environmental protection during the construction process as well as after the project is put into operation.

First of all, investors and construction units must strictly comply with regulations on environmental protection, provincial authorities should strengthen inspection and supervision. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will soon develop the operation process of Lai Chau hydropower reservoir and adjust the inter-reservoir operation process of the Da-Lo Gam river system when Lai Chau hydropower plant is put into operation as regulations./.