50 years of Southern Power Corporation: Gratitude for history - Proud to continue

From wartime desolation to a lamppost in the middle of the ocean

The year 2025 marks a significant historical milestone: 50 years of establishment and development of EVNSPC. The brilliant milestone of April 30, 1975, the moment of liberating the South and unifying the country, was also the starting point for the difficult but glorious journey of EVNSPC.

Southern Electricity Industry repaired the Da Nhim – Saigon line, 1976.

From the early days of connecting light in the post-war desolation, EVNSPC has gradually grown strongly, becoming one of the pillars of the national energy industry. With the mission of bringing electricity to every home, EVNSPC is a pioneer in paving the way for development and creating change throughout the Southern region.

Those 50 years were a journey with many hardships but also full of glory for many generations of leaders, engineers, cadres, workers, people who devoted their youth to power stations, power lines, to fields, mountainsides, and remote islands. They left the lights of the city to bring light to areas that had never known what electricity was; carrying machines across streams, trekking through forests to pull wires to hamlets, villages, and rice fields. Exhausting their strength and intelligence, sweating on the construction site so that whenever the country needed it, electricity would be there as an answer without any prior appointment.

Workers of Southern Power Company replace porcelain on the 230kv Da Nhim - Saigon line, 1978.

As soon as they took over the power grid on the day of the liberation of the South (April 30, 1975), EVNSPC engineers had to face countless challenges: Lack of equipment, lack of technical personnel, degraded and damaged power grid infrastructure, likened to a faded shirt after the war... But with those initial hands and minds, they still did not hesitate to face difficulties, rushing to connect wires, erect poles, and revive each cold transformer station from the ashes. From searching for materials, repairing equipment, and raw materials to restore the operation of Thu Duc and Cho Quan power plants, small diesel clusters in the areas, restoring the remote Da Nhim Hydropower Plant system to investing in the construction of national-scale hydropower plants such as Thac Mo and Tri An... so that the light could gradually be connected, spread, silently, and firmly. The light goes first and the belief follows, creating more trust and confidence of the People in the Party and the State in the difficult period. this difficult, arduous

Replacing the signboard at the 66_15kVA Thap Cham Transformer Station, Ninh Thuan Province, 1980.

Entering the period of innovation, EVNSPC has the mindset of a pioneer. After overcoming technical difficulties, EVNSPC is like a stretched bow, moving straight towards the future, carrying the aspiration for integration and sustainable development. Projects that were thought to only exist in dreams, such as the 110kV submarine cable line across the sea to Phu Quoc, the 220kV overhead line across the waves to Phu Quoc, the 110kV lines to Hon Nghe, Lai Son, Hon Tre islands... have been realized one after another. EVNSPC is proud to be the pioneer in bringing national electricity to remote, proud islands.

From the hamlets, villages of the Khmer people in the provinces of Soc Trang, Tra Vinh, Bac Lieu, Kien Giang; to the villages of the ethnic minorities in the Central Highlands of Lam Dong province, along with the bright red dragon fruit fields in Binh Thuan, the shrimp ponds of Ca Mau, Bac Lieu, the rice granaries of Dong Thap Muoi or the bustling industrial parks in Binh Duong, Dong Nai, Long An, Ba Ria - Vung Tau , Tay Ninh... to the island districts far out at sea such as Truong Sa, Con Dao, Phu Quy... all are lit up, as a vivid proof of the mission of "going first to pave the way" of the Southern electricity industry.

The 220kV Kien Binh – Phu Quoc transmission line crosses waves to reach the remote island. This is the longest 220kV power supply project across the sea in Southeast Asia.

After 50 years of establishment and strong development, EVNSPC has been ensuring electricity supply for more than 9.5 million customers in 21 southern provinces/cities from Ninh Thuan to Ca Mau, with the number of households having electricity reaching 99.90%. Notably, EVNSPC is also the Corporation supplying electricity to the most island districts in the country including: Phu Quoc island city, Kien Hai island district (Kien Giang province), Phu Quy island district ( Binh Thuan province), Con Dao district (Ba Ria - Vung Tau province), Truong Sa island district (Khanh Hoa province) and DK platforms.

Fully aware of the responsibility to serve the people and accompany the country's integration and innovation, over the past 50 years, EVNSPC has always maintained the spirit of innovation, creativity and dedication to overcome difficulties. Initiatives in grid management and operation, application of modern technology in management, customer care... have helped EVNSPC gradually transform into the digital age in a systematic, economical and effective manner.

012. CBCVN EVNSPC inspects the power system in Truong Sa island district.

Light up humanity with a loving home

No stage, no fireworks, no pompous celebration. At the age of 50, EVNSPC chose to celebrate with quiet but meaningful actions: When using all the savings from not holding a 50th anniversary celebration and mobilizing from outside sources of funding to support the construction of 815 new houses for poor households with especially difficult housing circumstances.

Building power plants in the southern provinces.

Right from the beginning of the year, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors of EVNSPC issued resolutions and launched practical emulation movements, in which the policy of practicing thrift and fighting waste in all activities, from the office to the construction site, from management to construction stood out. The Party Committee and the Board of Directors of EVNSPC decided not to organize a ceremony to celebrate the 50th anniversary of its establishment, but to allocate all the expected funding from activities and ceremonies to carry out a more practical and meaningful goal: Supporting the construction of 315 new houses for the poor in 21 southern provinces and cities with a total cost of 18.9 billion VND. Along with that, EVNSPC has mobilized funding sources from outside society to support the construction of 500 more houses for the poor in some provinces in the area with a total cost of 30 billion VND - This is the greatest, most practical, meaningful and humane gift of the Southern Electricity industry towards the community. With the desire to show gratitude to history, serve the country, serve the people, over the past half century, EVNSPC wishes to be a State-owned enterprise that always demonstrates responsibility to the community and society.

And more than anyone else, electricians always understand that light does not only come from electricity, but also from sharing, through the most practical and kind deeds: With 815 houses, there are 815 joys, creating for 815 families more support, strong faith to rise up in life, also a testament to a 50th Anniversary Ceremony, although without a stage, lights, but full of warmth and affection, this is also a gift of gratitude that the collective leadership, officers and employees of EVNSPC send to families with many difficulties, continuing the journey of 50 years of attachment and service in the Southern land of the fatherland.

Investing in grid development

Gratitude for history - Proud to continue

Not stopping there, towards the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, National Reunification and also the 50th anniversary of the establishment of EVNSPC, right from the beginning of 2025, the Party Committee and the Board of Directors, together with more than 20,000 officers and employees of the Corporation, launched and responded to the emulation, determined to achieve the goal of bringing 50 110kV power grid projects to the finish line before April 30, 2025, as a practical act of gratitude to history and pride in following.

To achieve that difficult goal, EVNSPC had to face many challenges, from overlapping investment procedures, difficult and unfinished sites, difficult terrain and geology, and shortage of human resources... However, people are not afraid of difficulties and do not falter because of that. All EVNSPC leaders are always on duty at each construction site, without days off or breaks, always working side by side with the command team, removing every bottleneck, opening every path, urging the energization of each construction and project to be completed on time and ahead of schedule.

019. Chairman of EVNSPC Board of Directors Le Van Trang (standing in the middle) inspects and urges the progress of the Project in Ca Mau province.

Contrary to previous practice, construction investment projects are often completed in the last months of the year, but in 2025, EVNSPC has advocated changing the management method, accelerating construction progress right from the first days and months of 2025 to make the most of the weather conditions of the dry season months in the South, which is the most favorable golden time for construction and installation activities. With proactive, breakthrough, and drastic management, the participation of the entire system, the joint efforts of construction units and partners, the active support of authorities at all levels and especially the companionship and sharing of people in the localities, since the beginning of the year, the Corporation has completed energizing and putting into operation 31/50 110kV power grid projects, the remaining 19 projects are continuing to be promoted and accelerated to reach the finish line, completing energizing and putting into use before April 30, 2025.

Bring electricity to remote areas.

With 50 110kV power grid projects completed on the occasion of April 30, 2025 - symbolizing 50 years of national reunification, also demonstrating 50 years of EVNSPC accompanying the development of the South. Completing on schedule and putting into operation a series of power grid projects on this occasion is a deep gratitude of today's Southern electricians to the previous generations - those who sacrificed for the country to have an independent and unified day, to build an increasingly developed society, and for the people to be increasingly prosperous and happy.

Accordingly, in the first 6 months of 2025, EVNSPC will continue to strive to complete the energization and put into use 84 110kV grid projects. In particular, focusing on thoroughly handling 100% of 110kV grid projects that have been stuck for many years. Accumulating the whole year of 2025, EVNSPC will strive to complete the energization and put into use 122 110kV grid projects, promptly meeting the demand for safe and stable power supply to serve the production and life of people in 21 southern provinces/cities in 2026 and the following years.

Operate at 110kV transformer station.

Excited about the achievements of 50 years of construction and development, the leadership team and more than 20,000 EVNSPC employees, who are living and working under the common house of EVNSPC, are united with affection, always grateful to the previous generations of leaders and employees who have built and created a solid foundation for the Corporation to develop and grow stronger. Continuing and inheriting the achievements of the past half century, the EVNSPC generation today and tomorrow will continuously strive to compete, overcome all difficulties and challenges, continue to write the glorious and proud history of the Southern Electricity industry; join hands and unite with EVN to rise up, adapt and integrate, ready to enter the new era, the era of national growth.

Source: https://baobinhthuan.com.vn/50-nam-tong-cong-ty-dien-luc-mien-nam-tri-an-lich-su-tu-hao-tiep-buoc-129540.html