The Hoa Binh Hydroelectric Dam/Hydropower Plant seen on top of Ong Truong Hill in Hoa Binh Province, Vietnam. (Photo: Project CASE Indonesia)
Hoa Binh, 27 November 2024 – As part of the 2024 Clean, Affordable and Secure Energy (CASE) for Southeast Asia Consortium Workshop in Vietnam, Institute for Essential Services Reform (IESR) joined a site visit to the one of the largest Hydropower Plant in Southeast Asia which located in Hoa Binh Province.
A Thoughtful and Careful Construction
The Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant and Dam construction started in November 1979 and was planned to contain the Black River which passed through the province. The Government of Vietnam collaborated with the Soviet Union to create the largest Hydropower Plant in the country and it took more than 15 years to complete.
In December 1994, the power plant started operating and kept the title of the largest hydropower plant in Vietnam until 2012, when the country built another Dam in Son La Province. But the main question is, why did this hydropower plant take longer to construct than the normal range of 4-5 years?
The answer lies in the geographical condition of Hoa Binh Province which is prone to earthquakes. The engineers from Vietnam and Soviet took the time in planning and constructing the Dam and powerplant to make sure the infrastructure is strong enough to withstand earthquakes, even with the magnitude of 8 or 9 that might happen in the future. The Hydropower plants turbines are constructed inside a tunnel beneath a mountain, which could provide better protection and easier to maintain.
The Hoa Binh Dam is built with the highest security and safety standards due to the amount of casualties they projected if the Dam ever breaks, which could lead to six provinces on the northern parts of the black river will be submerged under water, including the city of Hanoi and 12 million people will lose their lives. The engineers do believe Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant infrastructure could be utilized for over a century, until 2100. These careful and thoughtful planning with considerations of safeguarding principles should be an example for other power plants development projects in the future, especially for Southeast Asia that has a vast amount of renewable energy potential.
Serves more purpose than just generating electricity
At the beginning of construction, the Government of Vietnam took a hard decision to relocate thousands of people from a 13 hectares area to build the hydropower plant and dam. Although they faced resistance at the beginning from the local communities, the relocation must go on due to the condition of the area which is highly prone to flood.
The Hoa Binh hydropower plant and dam were made to fit several objectives besides generating electricity. The Hoa Binh dam was made to hold the strong currents of the black river, which since then has prevented a number of floods in the area, including in the city of Hanoi. The second purpose is to maintain the lever of water in the black river during the dry season, and finally to provide balance for the electricity grid in Vietnam.
Exploring Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant
Eight hydro turbines, each generates 240 MW of electricity underneath a Mountain in Hoa Binh Province (Photo: Project CASE Indonesia)
The IESR team as part of the CASE for Southeast Asia Consortium went to visit the hydropower plant in Hoa Binh to observe the operation of the plant. From the main building we were escorted to a 30 meters deep tunnel to view the operations of the turbines underneath the mountain.
The Hydropower plant has eight turbines and each of them generates 240 MW of electricity. The total installed capacity is 1920 MW and the Hoa Binh hydropower plant company is currently expanding the generation capacity. By the end of 2024, there will be two additional turbines with the capacity of 480 MW each and the total installed capacity could read 2400 MW.
In the first years of the Hoa Binh hydropower plant operation, the installed capacity could provide 30-50% of Vietnam’s electricity needs. But in 2016, they only accounted for 6% of the total electricity needs as many power plants were built during these times.
After learning about the hydropower plant, to end the site visit, the representatives of the Hoa Binh Electricity Company then escorted us around to the hillside of the Dam to observe the black river reservoir and on top of the Ong Tuong Hill to visit a monument of Uncle Ho (Ho Chi Minh), the first President of Vietnam.
CASE Consortium Members from Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam (2024)