State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) group has plugged into the national grid the 500kV Quang Ninh-Hiep Hoa line project using financial support from the World Bank, aiming to improve power transmission in the northern region. With an investment of VND2.26 trillion ($107.6 million), the 139-kilometers transmission line going through Quang Ninh, Hai Duong and Bac Giang will bring electricity from Quang Ninh-Mong Duong thermal center to the national grid. The line enables the EVN to ensure stable regulation of the 500kV north-south network, the country’s major power line transmitting electricity from the north to the south, a region home to many industrial parks and economic zones. Vietnam mostly borrows foreign loans for power generating and transmission projects as the country needs about VND929.7 trillion ($44.27 billion) for the industry sector by 2020. (Thoi Bao Kinh Te Viet Nam – Vietnam Economic Times July 28 p3)
