Enhancing local responsibility in protecting power grid safety corridors

In recent years, the work of protecting the safety corridor of high-voltage power grids in the province has received special attention. The drastic participation in the direction of the Provincial People's Committee, the closer coordination between localities with the electricity sector and related units has brought about quite positive changes. However, to thoroughly handle violations and limit potential risks and recurrence, the role of localities needs to be more focused.

Enhancing local responsibility in protecting power grid safety corridors Quan Son Electricity cooperates with local authorities to trim trees in the electrical safety corridor.

According to data from Thanh Hoa Electricity Company, in 2023, the affiliated power companies coordinated with localities to trim nearly 60,000 trees inside and outside the corridor, reaching 108% of the plan assigned by the Northern Power Corporation. Local authorities also coordinated with the project contractor to relocate power poles and lines out of 10 areas, combined with investment, repair, renovation and upgrading of the power grid. Since then, the electricity industry has handled 1 location violating the corridor and 11 locations with phase-to-ground distances. The results achieved in minimizing violations of the power grid corridor have contributed to improving the quality of power supply for production and consumption; at the same time, significantly reducing the number of power grid incidents due to corridor violations and reducing the number of electrical accidents among people.

However, according to the latest review by the Provincial High Voltage Power Grid Safety Steering Committee in April 2024, the province still has 137 violations of power corridors, 141 locations violating phase-to-ground distances, 1,387 pole spaces with trees at risk of causing incidents with a total of about 19,006 trees of all kinds. In addition, the province has 1,592 houses and constructions with people living and working inside existing in the high voltage power grid safety corridor. Although they have not been expanded or expanded, these are places with potential risks of corridor violations, causing unsafe operation and grid incidents. Some localities still have many violations that have not been completely handled, such as: Nhu Thanh - Nhu Xuan area has 15 corridor violations; 24 violations of phase-to-ground distances; 97 houses and constructions existing in the corridor. In Ngoc Lac - Lang Chanh area, there are still 35 violations of corridors; 1 violation of land phase distance; 457 violations of houses and constructions existing in the corridor. In Nong Cong area, there are still 30 violations of corridors; 1 violation of land phase distance and 123 violations of houses and constructions existing...

Regarding trees violating the corridor, some households in many localities have not yet voluntarily changed their crop structure or trimmed trees inside and outside the corridor that are at risk of violating the grid safety corridor despite having been supported and compensated. This situation especially occurs in some localities with 110kV power lines passing through such as: Truc Lam, Phu Lam, Tan Truong, Truong Lam wards (Nghi Son town); Thang Long commune (Nong Cong); Yen Tho, Ben Sung, Hai Long, Xuan Khang (Nhu Thanh); Binh Luong commune (Nhu Xuan)...

Many localities have not been resolute in handling administrative violations against cases of intentional violations of corridors, leading to people still replanting fast-growing trees in the corridors despite having been compensated and supported for the corridors according to regulations. Typically, some localities have a large number of trees inside and outside the corridors that need to be pruned, such as: Trieu Son district has 1,142 trees in the corridor and 1,914 trees outside the corridors; Nhu Thanh - Nhu Xuan district has 649 trees in the corridor and 3,474 trees outside the corridors; Cam Thuy area has 1,047 trees in the corridor and 49 trees outside the corridors; Nong Cong district has 1,567 trees in the corridors and 276 trees outside the corridors...

Along with that, the situation of people arbitrarily exploiting trees near high-voltage power lines without notifying the management and operation units for guidance and coordination in implementing safety measures still occurs, although the electricity industry has announced and posted contact phone numbers at the poles where trees are at risk of falling onto the power lines. In Ngoc Lac, Lang Chanh, Thuong Xuan, Dong Son districts, Nghi Son town, in 2023, these cases occurred, causing trees to fall and collide with the power lines, causing power grid problems.

Regarding violations of phase-to-ground distance, there are still cases when contractors leveling residential areas, industrial clusters, and traffic projects have reduced the safety distance between the conductor and the ground compared to the original design status, leading to violations of the prescribed safety distance but have not been handled. Typically, at the location of column 44 - 46 of line 176 E9.2 Ba Che - 171 E9.27 West Thanh Hoa City in Dong Tien commune, Dong Son district, the investor of the new residential area project when constructing the ground did not meet the requirements when the 110kV line ran overhead through residential areas. The solution would be to renovate the line, increase the phase-to-ground distance or move the line to another location, but so far it has not been handled.

Along with that, currently in many localities, the allocation of land and granting of construction permits for housing projects in some localities to households has not paid attention to the existing power grid projects, so the power grid safety corridor has not been deducted or conditions have not been set to limit the ability to use land, the space between the conductor and the construction, housing, leading to the risk of violations in the future. Some houses and constructions that existed in the power grid safety corridor have been handled by the electricity industry and are no longer in violation. However, there is still a situation where people arbitrarily expand their houses, build roofs, heat-resistant roofs, install water tanks, solar energy, dry clothes... in the space between the house, construction and the power line. This practice poses many potential risks to human safety and the risk of fire, explosion, and power grid incidents.

With the existing problems and potential risks that can easily arise in violating the grid safety corridor, in addition to the specialized unit of the electricity sector, local authorities need to improve their management responsibilities at the grassroots level. Along with propaganda and mobilization solutions, there should be measures to prevent or sanction cases of expanding and renovating houses and constructions that exist in the corridor; arbitrarily changing the crop structure and exploiting crops in the power corridor. The mechanism for sanctioning administrative violations in the electricity sector for groups and individuals who intentionally violate the grid safety corridor according to Decree 17/2022/ND-CP dated January 31, 2022 of the Government also needs to be strictly applied, especially cases of intentional violations of the corridor in recent times.

Article and photos: Tung Lam

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