|
Central Highlands electricity supply project is on time
There will be no extension in the implementation of a project to supply electricity to all hamlets and villages in the five Central Highlands provinces, which is scheduled to be completed next year, affirmed participants at a conference on the project in Hanoi on Dec. 19.
During the meeting, representatives from the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), the five Central Highlands provinces Lam Dong, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, Gia Lai and Kon Tum and relevant ministries said that the government should provide early disbursement of 100 billion VND of the capital for the project in 2009. This would allow 61 hamlets and villages to be hooked up to an electricity supply in time for the traditional lunar new year festival.
The project to supply free electricity to all hamlets and villages in the Central Highlands was approved by the PM in April 2006, and is backed by investment totaling more than 1,000 billion VND. Of this figure, 85 percent has been sourced from the State budget and the remaining 15 percent has been contributed by EVN.
The project is expected to supply electricity from the national grid to 116,000 households in more than 1,200 hamlets and villages, thus increasing the number of households with access to electricity in the Central Highlands to 90 percent.
Representatives from the Central Highlands provinces reported that the government is preparing an economic stimulation programme, with a portion of the funds from the programme to be used for rural infrastructure facilities. They proposed the inclusion of the electricity supply project in the list of rural infrastructure projects to receive priority status from the programme.
According to EVN, the project is about half-way to completion. All of the design, bidding for construction and installation processes have been completed, contracts for all 62 construction bidding packages have been signed and 30 of these are currently being implemented.
EVN is determined to complete the project in 2009, as scheduled.
EVN and the Central Highlands provinces agreed on the need to conduct a working session with the PM to seek measures to ensure capital for the project.
VNA
|
