The Nghi Sơn 2 Thermal Power Plant officially went into operation after the inauguration ceremony on Sunday. VNS Photo Việt Dũng

HÀ NỘI — The start-up of the Nghi Sơn 2 BOT Thermal Power Plant is a milestone for the economic growth of Thanh Hóa Province.

That was the message from Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành as he spoke at the official inauguration of the Nghi Sơn 2 BOT Thermal Power Plant on Sunday.

He said the plant would contribute 7.8 billion KWh of electricity to the national grid per year without causing environmental impacts thanks to its supercritical technology that allows the efficient combustion of coals and low gas emissions.

"Nghi Sơn 2 Power LTD (NS2PC) should put occupational safety and health top of its agenda and, at the same time, strictly comply with environmental standards", he said.

The Deputy PM urged ministries to create favourable conditions for the plant to operate without any hindrances. He also called on local authorities to support people that have been displaced for the construction of the plant to ensure their livelihoods.

Yoshiaki Yokota, Managing Executive Officer of the Energy and Infrastructure Solution Group, Marubeni Corporation, revealed that his company has constructed 11 power plants in Việt Nam before the Nghi Sơn 2 BOT Thermal Power Plant.

This plant's commercial operation is the beginning of its 25-year journey toward a stable and reliable power.

"One of the contributions that Nghi Sơn 2 Thermal Power Plant can bring to the society is its 'Green operation',” he said.

Hirohide Sagara, President and CEO of NS2PC, said his company's next important target is to implement green operations to further reduce CO2 emissions in line with the government’s commitment to carbon neutral in 2050.

"To do this, we devote ourselves as pioneer of this task and utilise advanced low-carbon technologies", he said.

Park Heon-Gyu, Corporate Senior Vice President of the Korea Electric Power Corporation, said the completion of the plant is one of the greatest achievement bolstering the fast-growing Việt Nam's economy.

"The plant will produce approximately 1,200MW of electricity, which is equivalent to the power produced by an unit of a new nuclear build", he said.

He also said that the plant would play a critical role in revitalising the local economy by creating more than 2,000 jobs.

Nghi Sơn 2 Power LTD (NS2PC) is a company owned by three shareholders of Marubeni Corporation (40 per cent), Korea Electric Power Corporation (50 per cent) and Tohoku Electric Power Company (10 per cent) with an intial outlay of US$2.8 billion.

The principle task of NS2PC is to implement the construction and operation of the Nghi Sơn 2 BOT Thermal Power Plant under the scheme of Build - Operate - Transfer. With a capacity of 1,200 MW, the plant is expected to generate enough electricity for six million homes.

The plant began construction in July 2018, launched its first generator in January 2022 and its second in July. NS2PC will operate the plant in 25 years before transfering it to the Vietnam Electricity. — VNS