Difficulties at the "gateway" to transmission
One morning in early May, in the construction area of the road to the 500kV Lao Cai Substation, red dirt road sections that had just been expanded, where just a few months ago were still people's corn fields.
Mr. Ly A Sinh - a household in Bao Thang commune - recalled: "Previously, my family was confused because the compensation policy was not clear. But when explained that this is a large state project, serving electricity for the whole region, my family agreed to hand over the land early for construction.
Mr. Sinh's story is not isolated. In many project locations, people's consensus is becoming the "key" to removing long-standing bottlenecks.
Lao Cai is known as the "energy warehouse" of the Northwest region, with dozens of large and small hydropower plants operating. However, the paradox is that the power source is abundant but the "output" is limited. At many times, the power generation capacity cannot be completely relieved because the transmission infrastructure has not kept up.
According to the Lao Cai Department of Industry and Trade, a series of key power transmission projects are being implemented such as the 220kV Than Uyen - Lao Cai 500kV substation line; Bat Xat 220kV substation; Bat Xat - Bao Thang 220kV line...
However, the journey to bring these projects to the finish line is not easy at all. The biggest "bottleneck" is still site clearance. Many column positions are entangled in land use planning, area disputes or no compensation plan has been agreed upon.
At the 220kV Bat Xat substation, although most of the area has been handed over, there are still some households that do not agree due to obstacles in determining the recovered area. The road to the 500kV substation was also "jammed" because a few households have not approved the compensation plan, causing the transportation of equipment to be interrupted.
Not to mention, the terrain is rugged, the weather in mountainous areas is erratic, machinery is difficult to access... all of which slow down the construction progress at many times.
Accelerating day by day, "rescuing" electricity
Under pressure to ensure electricity for production and daily life during peak season, Lao Cai has shifted from "removing obstacles" to "accelerating".
Mr. Nguyen Manh Hung - Chairman of Bat Xat Commune People's Committee - said: "We identify this as an important political task, so we mobilize the entire system to participate. Officials go down to each household, directly dialogue. When people understand the long-term benefits, the majority agree.
Prolonged village meetings, times when officials "went to each alley, knocked on each house" have been effective. Many households proactively cut down trees, moved assets, and handed over clean ground to construction units, instead of waiting for coercion.
At the construction site, the atmosphere is also no less urgent. Construction units arrange many parallel working teams, taking advantage of each sunny day to speed up progress.
An engineer at the construction site shared: "There are positions that take hours to walk to reach. Equipment must be transported manually in sections. But the brothers all determined to work day and night to keep up with the progress.
Representatives of the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) said that projects in Lao Cai play an important role in ensuring national energy security, especially when electricity demand increases in the dry season.
In parallel with transmission projects, the electricity industry also promotes investment in distribution grids, expanding power supply to remote and isolated areas, opening up economic development opportunities for people.
Accelerating the progress of transmission projects is not only to meet immediate needs but also to have long-term strategic significance. When the "output road" is opened, electricity from hydropower plants will be exploited more effectively, limiting the situation of local surplus.
At the same time, the national power system will operate more flexibly and safely, reducing the risk of overload or local power shortages in previous hot seasons.
