Electricity workers examine power transmission lines (Illustrative photo: thanhnien.vn)

At a recent meeting with leaders of Ba Ria-Vung Tau and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the PM agreed to the project, which had been considered by relevant agencies for a period of time.

Experts held that the best solution to supply power to Con Dao Island is to expand the national grid from Soc Trang.

Solar, wind, and gas-fired power generation on the island is neither stable nor profitable enough for investors, and solar or wind energy can only serve as supplementary power sources, they went on.

Echoing that view, Chairman of the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Tho stressed that as the top target is to ensure security and defence, providing electricity from the national grid on the mainland is much more stable than other forms of power supply and will also minimise the impact on Con Dao Island’s environment and ecology.

Electricity demand on Con Dao, which is an increasingly popular tourist destination, has been on the rise.

The two diesel-fired power plants on the island have a combined capacity of just 12 MW, or 7 MW lower than existing demand. Major resorts and hotels must therefore equip themselves with generators.

Last November, the Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee asked the Ministry of Industry and Trade to propose the PM permit the consideration of the project bringing electricity from Soc Trang to Con Dao via submarine cables, and that the project be included in the medium-term investment plan for 2021-2025.

The project is set to start at the 220kV power station in Vinh Chau town in Soc Trang province and will feature 3 km of power lines on the mainland, another 15 km in shallow waters, 78 km of submarine cables, and 4.5 km of 110kV lines on Con Dao Island. It is expected to need total investment of 4.8 trillion VND (200 million USD)./.

BTA