NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung paid a Tet visit to workers at the construction site of the Son La hydro-power plant on Jan. 5  Photo: VNA

Chairman Hung wished workers of the country’s largest hydropower plant a happy new year and congratulated them on turning on of the plant’s fourth turbine.

He praised the achievements made by the power plant workers, saying that the results showed their will, solidarity, resolve and creativeness in designing, implementing a key national project.

The Chairman highly valued efforts and coordination between the local authorities and the project management unit in resettling 22,000 households with 120,000-130,000 people.

He also hailed efforts by the plant’s leaders and workers to complete the project in 2012, three years ahead of schedule.

The Son La Hydroelectric Power Plant is the biggest of its kind in Southeast Asia . Construction of the 37 trillion VND power plant, located in Muong La district, started in December 2005.

It has a planned capacity of 2,400 MW. With six turbines, the plant is expected to provide 10.2 billion kWh a year for the national grid.

Its four turbines were hooked up to the national grid and the two remainders are expected to come into operation this year.

The project’s main functions include supplying electricity to ensure energy security for national industrialisation and modernisation, preventing floods for the lower basin, supplying water to the Red River delta in the dry season and contributing to promoting socio-economic development in the northwestern region.

Also on the same day, Chairman Hung visited and presented gifts to workers of the Son La Rubber Joint Stock Company in It Ong township, Muong La district. He also visited people in Chieng Pha commune in the northwestern mountainous district of Thuan Chau.