The 5.5km-long water tunnel of Nam Xe Hydropower Plant is under the final construction steps prior to the breakthrough.
The waterway of Nam Xe HPP was officially commenced constructing since April 2021. After nearly 20 months, the small items including the Sub-tunnel No. 1, entrance to the tunnel adit No. 1 and the sub-tunnel No. 2 of the waterway are at final stage and well-preparation for the completion date achievement.
The tunnel of Nam Xe HPP is managed in 24-hour inspection duty during the construction.
The waterway of Nam Xe HPP was officially commenced constructing since April 2021. After nearly 20 months, the small items including the Sub-tunnel No. 1, entrance to the tunnel adit No. 1 and the sub-tunnel No. 2 of the waterway are at final stage and well-preparation for the completion date achievement.
The water tunnel is designated to take water from the headrace channel to the powerhouse. This work is considered as a significant item that requires high technical requirements at any hydropower projects. To proceed such work, before entering the construction progress, the EPC Contractor - SCI E&C Joint Stock Company has arranged a training course on tunnel construction safety to improve the employee’s knowledge, accomplishment and general awareness on the hazards, risks as well the prevention and controlling measures. Each employee of the EPC Contractor has also been provided with adequate protective clothes and requested to strictly comply with the occupational safety regulations during the construction of Nam Xe HPP waterway.
During the tunnel construction, SCI E&C JSC has coordinated with the Employer and the Employer’s Engineer to remain the status of "on duty" on the round-the-clock basis at the site to guarantee comprehensive safety for all employees. Mr. Nguyen Dinh Tuan - a tunnel engineer who has been supervising the tunneling work till date said: "Despite the fact that the waterway of Nam Xe HPP is constructed under complex geological and topographical conditions, we have ensured the compliance of strict requirements applied on the tunnel engineering. Therefore, this shall be considered as a success of the civil contractor and SCI E&C in the role of EPC Contractor".
The engineers and workers are on day-and-night duty for the achievement of water tunnel breakthrough.
It is shared by the Project Management Board of the project that, prior to the breakthrough, the tunnel shall be cleaned to fulfill the design requirements. The tunnel breakthrough ceremony which shall be organized on November 18 marks shall mark an extremely meaningful milestone of Nam Xe HPP in reaching target of reservoir water impoundment.
At the end of November, the permanent reinforcement for tunnel route shall be performed including a lot of first activities such as tunnel vault jetting and cleaning, measurement testing and final checking of tunnel sections for as-built documents establishment, handling of unqualified areas and point-to-point unqualified surface treatment application. After the jetting and acceptance, the tunnel reinforcement shall be continued with the shotcrete, consolidated grouting for incomplete positions which are pending at the stage of excavation and temporary protection, then full shotcrete, and concrete placement for tunnel vault as per designed chainage and consolidated grouting.
In parallel with the permanent reinforcement of tunnel, the embankment of main dam and the construction of powerhouse are also performed at Nam Xe Hydropower Project.
Nam Xe Hydropower Plant is located on Nam Pat stream, Nam Xe commune, Phong Tho district, Lai Chau province. The 20MW project is invested by SCI Group with a total investment amount of 724 billion VND. At operation in the first quarter of 2023, the plant is expected to contribute an average annual power output of 79 million kWh, promote the socio-economic restructuring process of Phong Tho district in particular and Lai Chau province in general.
