LILAMA: the first contractor to carry out test run for thermal power plant in Vietnam

Panorama of Vung Ang 1 thermal powe plant (photo: Viet Binh)

     On these days, when machine unit 2 has been put into commercial operation and handed over to Owner, the plant is preparing for its inaguration, the machinery installation workers are really proud of a centurial project they have finished in the role of an EPC Contractor. They can not help being proud because this is a coal-fired project with capacity of 600MW having giant size and the most complicated technology in Vietnam for the time being. Although the bidding price was low and the performance conditions were so severe …, the thing deserving to say and to be proud in this project is that the project is a large-scale and complicated one but LILAMA has mastered it, particularly they have connected all interfaces together compatibly and synchronously. And the greatest results of LILAMA engineers and workers is to put the machine unit capacity upto 632MW.

     Especially, this is a project in which LILAMA has displayed its most internal force as an EPC contractor in both the performance and management level. If in other projects, the test running force was just supervisors, in this one, LILAMA has trained a large and powerful force with experience to be responsible for upto 50% of the plant work volume.

      Previously in Vietnam, there were some other enterprizes who could realize test run for thermal power plants but only in the electrical work. Regarding the technological equipment of boilers, turbines, LILAMA is the first domestic mechanical enterprize who are able to do that work.

     Engineer Pham Hong Son, Director of LILAMA Vung Ang 1 power project board said: “The test run occupies only 5% of the whole work volume but it is very important. This is a complicated work that can be relevant to the life and property of a large scale project. Test run is the last phase to check if all the design satisfies requirements. There are many steps after finishing the installation such as: test run for each single equipment, then each small system, then expansion and so on ... to the last step - adjustment. Moreover, all provision electrical systems are given trial run to check the stability”. Previously, all these works were assigned to foreign contractors. But in this project, LILAMA engineers have been the ones to make decision. And the factual demonstration is that the percentage of work responsible by LILAMA engineers is higher and higher, they participate deeply in the work strings, contributing considerably to the project's success. “Through the project, generations of machinery installation engineers have much grown up. Formerly, we just specialized in installation, then we coordinated with other partners, now we are able to realize test runs in addition, all these show the deeper participation of LILAMA in a project. It is considered another breakthrough in this project”, affirmed Eng. Son.

     “To achieve that, clever combination of phases of work is very important. In a big project like Vung Ang, there were a lot of small packages with a lot of contractors to participate in and the EPC Main Contractor LILAMA had to combine items together, combine contractors together to perform work fluently. And now, every people of LILAMA can do this”, said Mr Nguyen Duy Loi, Vice General Director of LILAMA 18, Ex-Director of LILAMA Vung Ang 1 power project board.

     Appraising successes of LILAMA in this project, Mr Nguyen Xuan Dung, Assistant to Director of Ha Tinh Petroleum Electricity Company asserted “Among coal-fired power projects to be handed over within the recent 5 - 7 years, Vung Ang 1 is the best one, especialy in the test running work. Although there were some mistakes, they are not very big and all have been put right”.

     The success of LILAMA in Vung Ang 1 thermal power plant opens up a new direction in field of test run for later projects, particularly the coming Song Hau 1 thermal power project. This also opens up a new profession for LILAMA in the process to become the first professional test-run contractor in Vietnam.

     Vung Ang 1 thermal power plant with capacity of 1,200 MW consisting of 2 machine units have been built in Ky Loi commune, Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh province. The plant applies the technology of burning coals to be belched directly of G7 countries. When being put into operation, the plant will contribute to the national grid about 7.2 billion KWh a year, the electricity turnover will be approximately USD 289 million per year (equivalent to VND 4,900 billion).

Van Anh - Duy Tinh