The second generator of Son La hydropower plant on Tuesday successfully started its test operation, paving the way for its official commissioning with a capacity of 400MW on April 20.

With the forthcoming operation of Generator 2, Son La will supply some 20 million kilowatt hours of power for the national grid a day to ease the power shortage for the country in this dry season, said the management board of Son La plant.

Engineers at Son La hydropower plant press the button to start the trial operation of the plant’s second generator - Photo: TTXVN

Bui Phuong Nam, technical manager of Son La power plant project, told local media that the water level at the plant’s reservoir has reached 195 meters, enough for running two generators of the mammoth power plant.

Nam was quoted by the official news website www.chinhphu.vn as saying that the second generator would officially start generating power to the national grid on April 20, or ten days earlier than scheduled.

The first generator was officially commissioned on December 23, 2010, and has since generated one billion kWh, according to the news website. At a ceremony two weeks later to mark the generator’s commissioning, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung hailed the investor for launching the first turbine two years earlier than approved by the National Assembly.

The Government leader also asked the investor and relevant agencies to start operating three more generators in 2010 and complete the whole project next year.

With a total designed generating capacity of 2,400 MW, Son La is the biggest hydropower project in Vietnam and Southeast Asia. Its power will be generated to the national grid through four 500-kilovolt power lines namely Son La-Hoa Binh, Son La-Nho Quan, Son La-Viet Tri and Son La-Soc Son.

Son La hydropower plant project has total investment capital of some VND42 trillion, or more than US$2.1 billion, and will supply the economy with 9.4 billion kWh of power a year.

The power plant, which is located in Muong La District in the northern province of Son La, got off the ground in 2005 with six power generators in total. Its reservoir covers 224 square kilometers, and is designed to hold 9.26 billion cubic meters.

By Thuy Hang