Spring comes in Lai Chau hydro power plant

The room for machines, looking from the dam

     Since the commencement in January 2011, up to now Lai Chau hydro power plant has passed 2 important milestones of schedule: first damming (4/2012) and second damming (10/2014), and as anticipated, in May 2015, the water inlet sluice will be closed and water will be stored in the storage lake to serve electricity generation. Because the schedule has been always maintained and speeded up, machine unit 1 of Lai Chau hydro power plant will generate electricity in December 2015, 3 months earlier than the schedule and maybe the project will be finished by 2016, a year in excess of the old schedule, bringing in a benefit of VND 5,000 billion for the State.

     To ensure the defined schedule, such the performance participators as Lilama, Song Da Corp., Licogi… are now urgently deploying their work actively, mobilizing their staffs together with many specialized machines, and carrying out extra working shifts…

     Lilama Corp. are responsible for assembling and installing all the equipment of the plant consisting of 32,700 tons inclusive of 16,450 tons of M&E equip. In high-levelled period of performance of 2015, they will install about 15,000 tons of equipment to ensure the target of generating electricity from machine unit 1 in the end of the year, and they will also mobilize more than 2,000 people to the construction site.

     In 2014, the Lilama collective of engineers and workers at site have finished excellently their assigned duties, all their performance items have satisfied the safety, quality and schedule committed to Owner and Main Contractor managing board such as: finishing the installation of pressured pipelines, installation of plant equipment, water intake gate, spillway equipment… 

Panorama of the plant, looking from river lower section

     A working day of Lilama workers (shift 1) begins at 5:45 a.m. Present at the workers' hostel, we were surprised and glad to see again many people who had worked at Son La hydro power project some previous years. Mr Chu Duc Trieu - Vice Director of Lilama Project Board in Lai Chau introduced to us: more than a half of the workers there had participated in performing Son La hydro power plant including lots of people who had 30 year attachment to hydro power projects such as Hoa Binh, Tri An, Vinh Son, Yaly, Son La, etc.

Lilama 10 is urgently performing the twist rooms No. 2 & 3

     In the area of machine units, Lilama 10 JSC were installing twist rooms 2 and 3. The twist room of machine unit 1 had been installed and the rotor wall had been poured concrete. Each twist room had diameter of 17m, consisting of more than 40 equipment assembled and welded together. That was why, the welders had been chosen carefully and they were all very good ones with 3G - 4G certificates. All the welded joints were taken ultrasonics to ensure none leak. On average, it took about 4 months to finish a twist room. Mr Trieu said at that time twist room No. 2 had been finished by 95%, and they were conducting to connect with the pressured pipelines. After finishing the work (3/2015), they would hand over to Song Da Corp. for pouring concrete.

     After accomplishing the twist rooms, Lilama would carry out to install stators, generators, turbines, oil supply system, water supply system, ventilating system, controlling electricity, electrical cabinets and boards and so on. As anticipated, after Tet holiday, Lilama would organize turbine teams, generator teams, controlling electrical teams (about 300 - 400 people) to perform these works.

The plant spillway area

     At the spillway surface area which were considered the hot spot of schedule at that time, performing units were urgently working to ensure that in June 6/2015 there will be hoarding water in the storage lake. Mr Nguyen Ta Son - vice chief of arc valve installation team said that Lilama were installing 6 arc valves of spillway with the quantity of more than 1,200 tons of equipment. Each equipment was over 200 tons heavy, 20.6m high, 14.5m wide and was assembled & installed at 28m from the spillway surface. To install this equipment, Lilama used a crane to put it down at the space assembling place, and after the assembly, they would weld, calibrate the arc valve, then put it into the complete installing position. At the time, Lilama were working in 3 shifts continuously to finish the installation of 6 arc valves of the spillway before April 2015.

Installing the arc valve of dam, 28m from the dam surface

     Mr Chu Duc Trieu said that on the Tet holiday, his company would assign some sections who were required for the schedule to stay and work at site to ensure the general schedule. People staying at site would be paid premium according to the law of the state. Moreover, the company would also concern and support them and especially the 30 families who were living and working there so that they could have a warm, happy Tet holiday.

     Saying good bye to Lai Chau and the workers who had created the character of Vietnamese machinery installation branch in the weather of the coming Spring, we had some melancholy but pride of them, the people had devoted their youth and life for the future electricity of the motherland and for the construction cause of the country.   

     The Lai Chau hydro power plant with capacity of 1,200 MW (3x400 MW) has been invested by EVN (Owner) and its Main Contractor is Song Da Corp., Lilama has been participating in installation of the whole equipment. When being put into operation, the plant will supply the National Grid with about 4.69 billion kWh on average, contributing to develop the social economy and ensure the national security in the Northwest area.

Ha Duy Tinh