Labourers set for constructive Tet

HA NOI (VNS)— As many as 1,000 workers have decided to stay onsite and work on the Lai Chau Hydropower Project in the northern province of the same name, instead of returning home for the upcoming Tet holidays.

The Ministry of Construction said on Wednesday that the workers would celebrate the festival at the dam's construction site. They would have one day off and resume work by afternoon on the first day of the Lunar New Year.

About 4,000 workers are currently working day and night on the project. Apart from generating electricity, authorities expect the dam to prevent flooding during the rainy season and supply water during the dry season.

The hydropower plant, part of the series of three plants across the Da River alongside the Son La and Hoa Binh plants, has an installed capacity of 1,200 MW and a generation capacity of nearly 4.8 billion kWh per year.

Started in January 2011, the project is said to have made scheduled progress and succeeded in the preventing of flooding last year.

The construction of public facilities and housing to accommodate thousands of workers on-site has been completed, according to the ministry.

Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN), the national power utility, is chiefly responsible for the project.

The workforce of four major construction groups – Song Da, Truong Son, Lilama and Licogi – have joined the construction and two foreign companies have helped with project supervision and quality management.

Trinh Dinh Dung, Minister of Construction, said the plant was an important project that needs a solid organisational approach, thorough application of advanced science and technology and effective use of quality human resources.

He said contractors must apply lessons learnt from previous projects including the Son La Hydropower Plant to minimise shortcomings and improve quality. — VNS