For power plants and diesel generation sources, currently located in 2 areas: Dung Quat EZ and Bac An Binh village (Ly Son). In Dung Quat EZ, there is a power plant of Dung Quat Oil Refinery, with 4 units (4x27MW), total capacity of 108MW, regularly generating 50-60MW. In Bac An Binh village, the diesel generator system consists of 4 units with a total capacity of 402kW. In addition, in Bac An Binh village there is also a solar energy system that supplies electricity to the people on the island. Specifically, the solar energy system here includes: The battery system consists of 300 IREX panels, each with a capacity of 320Wp, a total capacity of 96 kWp; Sunny Tripower grid connected inverter system with 5 sets, total capacity of 100kW; Storage battery system has 192 batteries, total capacity 9,600Ah; Sunny Island battery inverter system has 12 sets, total capacity of 72kW. Dakdrinh Hydropower (Son Tay). As for solar power, Quang Ngai currently has 2 power plants: Binh Nguyen (49MWp) and Mo Duc (19MWp). In addition, there is a rooftop solar power system installed at the headquarters of Quang Ngai Power Company and the High-voltage Grid Operation Management Team (327kWp); installed at 110kV transformer stations: 295kWp. In particular, customers’ rooftop solar power is quite a lot. Accumulated to December 31, 2020, the province had 1,332 installation customers, with a total installed capacity of 163,881.86kWp. Particularly power from hydroelectricity, currently 10 hydroelectricity has been put into operation. In which, the power source connected to the 110kV power grid is 4 hydropower plants, with a total installed capacity of 263 MW, including: Dakdrinh Hydropower Plant (125MW), Dakre (60MW), Son Tra (60MW), Son Tay ( 18MW). Hydropower source connected to the distribution grid has 6 hydropower plants connected to the medium voltage grid, with a total capacity of 35.6MW, including: Ca Du (2.6MW), Song Rieng (3MW), Ha Nang (11MW) ), Clear Water (16.5MW), Huy Mang (1.8MW), and Nui Ngang (0.7MW). By 2020, these hydroelectric plants will operate and generate electricity to meet the electricity needs of people and businesses across the province. Quang Ngai province is supplied with electricity mainly from the national grid through the 500kV Doc Soi (Binh Son) 500kV transformer station (Binh Son), including: 500kV line from Da Nang – Doc Soi (110km) and the substation 500kV- (450 + 600) MVA Doc Soi. For the 220kV power grid, currently in the province there are 220kV lines Doc Soi – Dung Quat, Doc Soi – Quang Ngai, Doc Soi – Son Ha, Doc Soi – Tam Ky. The 110kV power grid in the province with load in Quang Ngai province receives power from 13 110kV stations, with a total capacity of 953MVA. For medium voltage grid, the entire distribution grid of the province has been operated at voltage levels 22kV and 35kV. Low voltage grid has over 3,520km of low voltage lines. “Currently, Quang Ngai Electricity Company supplies electricity to 13/13 districts, towns and cities of the province; 173/173 communes, wards and towns have electricity (100%). Particularly Be Island – Bac An village. Binh (Ly Son) uses diesel power and solar battery system to supply electricity, the number of households with electricity reaches 99.68%. Commercial electricity output in 2020 will be 1,715 million kWh, up 10.6% compared to to 2019. In the first 2 months of 2021, reaching 324.5 million kWh, up 49% over the same period in 2020. The electricity industry always ensures safe, adequate and quality power supply for the above development needs. area “, Director of Quang Ngai Electricity Company Le Hoang Anh Dung said.

Nuoc Dop residential area is located on a hill on the other side of Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir. This is an area not included in the hydropower project, but the people of Nuoc Dop are indirectly affected by this project.

Tired of waiting for the way

We have returned to the Kingdom many times by different routes. For the first time on December 31, 2014, after one day, hydroelectricity was put into operation, to write the article “Dakdrr hydropower accumulation of water: Locking people in high mountains”. At that time, we rented boats, crossed the vast lake bed with more than 11 million cubic meters of water. Both going and going back took nearly 3 hours, with a price of 500 thousand VND.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential area, Ra Manh village, Son Long commune (Son Tay) open their own “waterways” across the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir to travel. Photo: Th. Nhi

Immediately after the press was published, the local government held an urgent meeting, immediately mobilizing the youth force of Son Tay district and Son Long commune to open a dirt road to make a passageway for the people of Nuoc Dop to go from the village to the middle communal mind. The road construction project was then urgently implemented, with a total length of 7.8 km, a total cost of more than 17 billion VND from the budget source. However, due to the design and other shortcomings, the project was stopped.

In 2018, the project of making this route restart. The total length is still the same, but the total cost increases to 30 billion VND, from the funding source of Dakdrinh Hydropower investor. Also since here, the Son Tay district government has to constantly go “debt collection” to have money for road construction. However, that road is still unfinished, even in many sections, it is even more difficult to go than the first day I crossed the lake bed, followed the path to return to this upland people.

Recently, we returned to the Kingdom. A 7.8km road can only make about 3.5km of the beginning of the route. The most important stretch of road is longer than 4km at the end of the route, that is, adjacent to residential areas, it is still sprawling with rocks, deep pools and steep slopes. Due to the difficulty of having no way to travel, the people of Nuoc Dop set up a wharf at the junction of the village adjacent to the Dakdrinh hydropower reservoir and named it “Ben Ra Manh”.

We arrived at Ra Manh wharf, Mr. Dinh Van Nghe thought that tourists would go on a trip, so he enthusiastically invited the boat to go to the lake for a walk. Mr. Nghiep said: This boat is the means of transportation of the whole village, carrying acacia, carrying the harvested noodles around the lake bed and on the rising hills between the hydroelectric lake. The investor of hydroelectricity only recovers the land at the foot of the hill, the rest of the people still grow acacia. Have to swim across the lake bed to clear grass, plant trees, then go sawing, taking boats to the shore. The small boat, piled with dozens of acacia trees, rowing all day to come ashore, but there is no other way.

Road to Nuoc Dop residential area. Photo: Th. Nhi

Bringing the story of persistent debt shortage to the leader of Dakdrinh Hydropower Joint Stock Company, Director of Dam Duc Thong Company said: “Hydropower is willing to pay for road construction, but until now, it has only paid about 17 billion, 13 billion more in debt. The reason is that the district has not completed the documents to be able to disburse it “. The file that this director explained is the final settlement of the project, that is, the district must complete, accept, hand over, then transfer the dossier to hydroelectricity for consideration and disbursement. However, on the side of the unit authorized to implement the Nuoc Dop road project, which is the Management Board of Construction Investment and Development of Land Funds in Son Tay District, said that if the capital is not arranged in advance, it will be very difficult for construction. Therefore, we hope that hydroelectricity will consider and make capital investments to make this road more flexible, because the longer it lasts, the more difficult people’s lives.

The electricity was creeping

For many generations, more than 100 people in Nuoc Dop residential area have not had access to the national electricity grid. For many years, Son Tay district has invested money to bring electricity to Nuoc Dop, but for many reasons, the project has not energized yet.

Residents of Nuoc Dop residential areas harvested the noodles and waited many days for traders to come and buy them. Photo: Th. Nhi

In Nuoc Dop, the medium voltage poles rise high, the wire is ready, but waiting to complete some procedures before it can be energized and supplied to households. Because it is too difficult when the life has no electricity, the people of Nuoc Dop residential area pay their own money to buy wires and pull electricity thanks to acquaintances from other KDC. Long distance, small wires, weak electricity, electric lights creeping not much brighter than kerosene lamps. “I hope to have electricity to light up for my children to study, watch television and listen to the radio to enjoy. Now I use electricity thanks to the time I lose. I don’t have electricity in my village,” said the village elder, Dinh Van Xon.

Because pulling electricity far away, the cost of pulling electricity back to the village is up to 4-5 million VND. Someone has to borrow hot money to get money to pull electricity. The electric lines like forest wires tangled in the pillars are actually dry acacia tops, low and low, with a section just at the knee. “I know that it is not allowed to connect electricity like that, but the family needs electricity very much before having to do so. I only hope that electricity can be brought back to the people on a large pole, a large wire for people to be assured to use. With electricity, a new life will be required. less suffering “, Ms. Dinh Thi Un confided.

It is difficult to pull electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area because partly there is no road. When implementing road investment here, the district has planned to implement the road in parallel. However, the road project just kept sluggish and electricity so was also slow to follow.

When will the promise come true?

The day we got back to Dop, it was on the day when a truck came to buy noodles for the people. Dozens of households in Dop were very happy. Before Tet, the constant rain and flood, the noodles were left on the field. After Tet, when it was sunny, people harvested, bagged, carried them down the road, sent people to the center of Son Tay district to call people to buy. 3 days new car appointment The whole village rushed to pick it up, put the noodles in the car, laughed loudly. There are many people who divide the money to sell noodles into each item: pay for electricity, buy rice, give their children money to go to the district to go to boarding school, buy acacia seed to grow … All essential expenses of life. “Luckily, we can sell noodles, but if we can’t sell, we go” hot “to take care of our family but know how,” said Dinh Thi Xang.

The people of Nuoc Dop residential area plant and care for the areca tree. Photo: Th. Nhi

Also because there is no sugar, the agricultural products in Dop are sold at a much cheaper price than other places. Currently, the purchasing price of Acacia wood here is only about 600-700 thousand VND, which is about 200,000 VND / ton cheaper than the convenient roads. Difficult, low income, but here people do not have side jobs. Chairman of Son Long Commune People’s Committee Do Thanh Qua said: All households in Nuoc Dop are poor. In recent years, life has been more difficult due to the fall in agricultural prices. There are times when there are storms, traffic is divided, agricultural products cannot be sold. The commune hopes that the superiors will quickly build the road and bring electricity back to Nuoc Dop residential area so that the people can improve their living conditions and gradually reduce poverty “.

Now Dop is in a raging season for acacia cultivation. On the green acacia hills, groups of 5-10 people work hard to clean up. In Nuoc Dop, people still keep the same “rhyme” as in the past. Every family has important work, everyone in the village who is free will come to help. They help each other as wholeheartedly as family members. Therefore, despite the difficult life, the roads are back, electricity has not come back forever, but no one left the village to go elsewhere. The special thing is that the village has no evils of gambling, theft … And for many years, they have been united, sharing with all difficulties of the government, the investor of Dakdrinh hydroelectricity and patiently. waiting for a promise …