A ceremony to launch the construction of Thang Long thermal power plant,the first privately-invested of its kind, was held in Hoanh Bo districtin the northern province Quang Ninh on October 23 in the presence ofDeputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

Covering more than124ha, the 2x300 MW plant has a total investment of over 22 trillion VND(1.05 billion USD), injected by the Thang Long-Gelexemco Thermal PowerCo. Ltd. It will apply French technology to minimise greenhouse gasemissions.

Speaking at the event, Deputy PM Hai assignedrelevant agencies to coordinate with provincial authorities andcontractors to address any emerging challenges and accelerate theconstruction process, ensuring the quality and safety of the plant.

In addition, he advised the province to implement on-site vocationaltraining for local residents to enable them to find employment at theplant when it officially runs, seeing it as part of ongoing efforts torestructure the provincial workforce.

The project, comprisingthe main plant, a coal storage facility and supporting infrastructure,is scheduled to be completed within 45 months.

Onceoperational, the plant is expected to contribute around 4,185 GWh to thenational grid each year, boosting economic development in the country’slargest thermo-power centre, which also comprises Mao Khe, Cam Pha andMong Duong power plants.-VNA