First BOT coal-fired power project gets steam drum
Quoc Hung
By Quoc Hung - The Saigon Times Daily
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A ceremony was held last Friday by AES -VCM Mong Duong Power Company Limited to mark the lifting of the Unit 1 steam drum into the Mong Duong 2 power station - Photo: Phuong Lan |
HCMC - The lifting of the Unit 1 steam drum into the Mong Duong 2 power station, the first and largest such BOT project in Vietnam, commenced on Friday in the northern province of Quang Ninh.
In a coal-fired power project, the steam drum is considered as the heart of the boiler as it provides steam to spin the turbine and the generator. The steam drum installation is one of the most important milestones in determining the installation schedule of the boiler and subsequently the overall project schedule, said a statement of AES-VCM Mong Duong Power Company Limited, the owner of the Mong Duong 2 Power Project.
For Mong Duong 2, the installation of the steam drum, which has a weight of around 230 tons, marks a significant achievement during the construction stage of the project since it signifies the completion of the boiler steel structure and commencement of the boiler erection process.
David Stone, managing director of the company, said in the statement, “We are extremely happy to witness the commencement of lifting of the Unit 1 Steam Drum. … With more than 3.5 million man-hours achieved without any Lost Time Incidents to date, we are confident to complete the project on schedule to support Vietnam in meeting the energy demand of a fast growing economy.”
The project started construction in August 2011 and has achieved an overall progress to date of approximately 40%. There are nearly 180 experts and 2,350 local Vietnamese people currently working at the site.The project is expected to enter into commercial operation in the second half of 2015 and will generate 7.6 billion kWh of electricity a year. After 25 years of operation, the Mong Duong 2 Power Project will be handed over to the Vietnamese Government per the BOT contract.
AES-VCM Mong Duong Power Company Limited was formed by three shareholders from subsidiaries of the AES Corporation from the United States with an interest of 51%, Posco Energy Corporation from South Korea (30%) and China Investment Corporation from China (19%). The project’s EPC contractors include Doosan Heavy Industries Vietnam Co. Ltd. and its subsidiaries.