Lai Chau hydro power plant: ready to close the water inlet sluice gate and hoard water for storage lake

Lai Chau hydro power plant has its capacity of 1,200 MW (3x400MW).

Urgent to finish work

     At the area for installing Rotor of machine unit 1, tens of Lilama engineers & workers were actively deploying their work. Each people was responsible for a step, they quickly put, pressed the silic iron sheets and screwed every bolts. Checking the joined pieces, Mr Nguyen Van Toan, an installing staff said facilities & equipment had been supplied relatively adequate. However, there were some passives because they had to wait for transportation from foreign countries, this affected considerably the construction schedule and the duration of finishing project items. On the other hand, the weather was very severe, it was always hot and it made workers tired, affecting the labour productivity very much. To complete their missions, they used to encourage eachother to overcome hardships by working in shifts, each shift had 13 people and they work for 8 hours a shift. Similarly, there were 75 people at the area of installing Stator and the work was divided among them in 3 shifts. Mr Nguyen Duc Nhung, Chief of Stator installing team said it took about 6 months to install Stator. During the process, there were many problems, however they were all solved satisfactorily for the main purpose of assuring the defined schedule. For example, there were not enough devices for tightening equipment, and they had to buy facilities with their own money so as to finish the work… Moreover, when installing Stator, they had to satisfy very high requirements of the manufacturer so it took much time. “To install Stator, it is compulsory to have roof and the environment must be always clean, otherwise the work cannot be done. For the time being, we are under a pressure of schedule. As planned, in the end of August, this item will have to be complete and handed over in order to carry out next items” said Mr Nhung.

Rotor of machine unit 1 is now being assembled and installed by Lilama 10

     Regarding the installation of machine units, Vice Chief of Lilama Lai Chau project Tran Xuan Duc said that for machine unit 1 they had finished the twist room, short cudgel, turbine-well and removed the binding frame; they were conducting the work of cutting, erasing, grinding and painting. Concerning the installation of Rotor, they had accomplished putting & pressing silic iron sheets step 3/5 with the height of 1,464/2,448mm. Stator: they had installed & finished the gill bar, rim of combteeth, they were deploying to press silic iron sheets step 1/5 with the height of 523/2,300mm. Turbine: they had installed the drainage valve of bend, painted the bend, assembled the bottom rim and they were carrying out to manufacture the adjusting onlays … “We can say that the work of testing and measuring tolerances within the design and installation have been complete and we will turn to the work of drying and testing voltage … As anticipated, in the end of August, we will install Rotor and it is possible to operate and generate electricity from machine unit 1 by the coming December. As for machine unit 2 and 3, we have installed and welded the turbine-wells, drainage valves of bends, we are also painting bends…” affirmed Mr Duc. According to him, with the total number of approximately 1,000 staffs, besides installing Rotor, Stator, his company was deploying a series items such as twist room, spillway, installation of technological piping system, compressed air system ... to assure and go ahead of the defined schedule.

Ready to close the water inlet sluice gate

     As planned, on 20-6 the work of closing water inlet sluice gate and hoarding water for the storage lake of Lai Chau hydro power project will be carried on, so the area of spillway is now considered the hot spot. Hundreds of engineers and workers of the concerning organizations have been mobilized, actively speeding up the schedule of construction as well as checking & taking over such items as pressure line, above surface of spillway, flood outlet project, energy line, water intake gate and pressured pipelines … Vice Chief of Lilama Lai Chau project Tran Xuan Duc said that the preparation work for closing water inlet sluice gate was deploying quickly. All manpower had been mobilized to finish 3 items: spillway to let out water deeply, installation of equipment for water inlet sluice and equipment of the plant lower section. They had accomplished 6 outlet gates; dry testing and closing the repair valve at gate 6, assembling 5/6 sets of arc-valves; they were conducting to cut, erase, grind, paint and suture the net slits…

     Vice Director of Lilama Project Management Board in Lai Chau Chu Duc Trieu let us know that within May, Lilama had installed 2,115 tons of equipment, including 325 tons of pressure line; 1,717 tons of energy; 73 tons of water inlet sluice gate; equipment was being installed (finished 656/656 equipment without any damage). As anticipated in June, Lilama continues to strive for 935 tons in installation, namely, pressure line achieves 300 tons, energy line reaches 600 tons, water inlet sluice gate 35 tons and the work of manufacturing & assembling equipment achieves about 500 tons. Besides, there are advantages such as the interest and support from Project Management Board, Lilama leaders in regulation and cooperation with concerning parties in order to speed up the project schedule; the staff of professional engineers & workers having long-term experience in performing hydro power projects. 

     Lai Chau hydro power plant has been commenced since January 2011, up to now, the plant has spent 02 important milestones: river division stage 1 (4-2012) and stage 2 (10-2014), and as anticipated, on 20-6 the water inlet sluice gate will be closed and water will be hoarded for the storage lake so as to generate electricity from machine units. Because the schedule has been maintained and sped up, machine unit 1 of Lai Chau hydro power plant, as anticipated, will generate electricity in 12-2015, 3 months earlier and the project will be finished in 2016, one year earlier than the schedule, bringing in a benefit of about VND 5 billion for the country. The Lai Chau hydro power project has its capacity of 1,200 MW (3x400MW), when being put into operation, it will contribute to the national grid about 4.69 billion kWh on average.

Xuan Thuy - Viet Cuong