In two consecutive years 2021 and 2022, Kosy Group continuously put two key renewable energy plants, Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Plant, phase 1 – 40.5 MW and Nam Pac Hydropower Plant – 34 MW into operation, connected to the national electricity grid, bringing stable income for the Group. Once Kosy’s construction implementation capacity confirmed, up to now, after nearly half a year of operation, operation and maintenance work has been perfected to continue affirming the operation and maintenance management capacity of the Group’s renewable energy sector.

Giving general assessment for the current operation of the two wind and hydroelectric power plants of Kosy Group, Mr. Nguyen Duc Doanh – Deputy General Director in charge of power plants operation shared: “After a short time going into operation, up to now, two plants’ operation has been carried out properly and smoothly. All personnel in charge of operation are trained according to EVN’s standards. Continuous technical training is carried out to improve skills as well as minimize risks, ensure safety and efficiency during operation”.

After officially connecting to the national electricity grid, Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Plant is expected to bring a revenue of 200 billion VND/year, Nam Pac Hydropower Plant is 160 billion VND/year for Kosy Group. This is an extremely important source of finance, that enables balancing regular and sustainable financial sources so that the Group is able to confidently deploy larger and more effective projects in the coming time.

Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Plant: Focus on training and transferring operation techniques

A wind power plant is operated in different complicated stages, requiring concentration and high precision. Upon transferring the operation shift, the operator must inspect all equipment in the plant such as: control room, protective relay room, 22 kV room, battery room, fire fighting system, e 220 kV substation field equipment such as transformers, circuit breakers, isolators, TU, TI, MK cabinets, earthing… Along with that, the operation engineer needs to understand the operating status of turbines and transformers equipment, standby modes and wiring diagrams to guarantee smooth operation. Currently, the partner Goldwind is still supporting the implementation of the plant’s turbine operation along with a team of workers and engineers of Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Joint Stock Company. This is the fastest way to transfer experience and operating knowledge from partner to plant personnel. Issues arising during the operation are also guided and trained continuously by the partner. “The goal is that as soon as possible, plant personnel can take care of Goldwind’s jobs” affirmed Mr. Nguyen Duc Doanh. Certificates, equipment for plant operation and maintenance are also continuously updated and supplemented by the management board to achieve the best initiative.

At Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Plant, the shifts of workers and operational engineers last from 6:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. the next morning. During the shift, the operator is required to perform equipment inspection, record operating parameters, operation log in accordance with the approved operating procedures, perform making voltage diagrams, perform dispatching orders of A0, A2 through the DIM system, hotline, make reports in accordance with issued circulars, regulations and procedures, approve and issue permission paper for the working team, set up safety measures, create fences and hang warning signs in the working area. “Whether it’s sunny or rainy, we’re always on time. In the power industry, any position carries great responsibility, operating a large plant, you have to be ready at all times for any situation that occurs during the shift. Each staff himself always learns processes and rules, studies drawings, learns about equipment to improve his skills” said Mr. Lam Hoang Dien – Deputy leader/shift leader of Kosy Bac Lieu wind power plant.

Directly participating in the operation of the plant, the pride of Mr. Dien could not be hidden: “Being one member of the operating team after officially generating power, it is an honor and pride for me personally. This work requires accuracy and meticulousness even tasks performed on daily basis. For me, looking at the electricity generated upon rotation of the wind turbine, it is like a great source of emotion and motivation to stick with this career”. Kosy Bac Lieu Wind Power Plant currently has total quantity of personel is 15 employees, 9 employees are in charge of operating the entire plant, of which mainly are recruited by Kosy Group, with priority given to local people in Bac Lieu province.

Operation and maintenance are extremely important to the wind power plant, which is the foundation for ensuring the system’s continuous operation with high performance, minimizing risks that may occur during operation (especially risks that may lead to human and equipment unsafety, and at the same time allowing durability extension of equipment such as turbines, switchgear, transformers, transmission lines of the national grid system.

Nam Pac Hydropower Plant: Overcome difficulties to maintain secure operation

In the field of hydroelectricity, plant operation is the process of operating power generation systems, namely electrical equipment, hydraulic mechanical equipment and auxiliary equipment systems in hydroelectric power plants. Along with that is the work of inspecting and monitoring the working status and adjusting the operating parameters of that system, promptly handling incidents in the hydroelectric power plant to ensure the safety procedures, efficiency optimization.

Nam Pac Hydropower Plant is located in a divergent – steep terrain, so in the occasion of flood, sand, rock, and mud from upstream follow the water, causing difficulties for the operation. Along with that, the dam sites to the plant are 4 km to 10 km far away from each other while the roads are rough, mainly inter-village roads, and project internal roads – heavy rain often causes landslides. The plant management, especially the operation team, have to strive to overcome difficulties so that the plant’s operation process is smooth, safe as planned.

The plant currently has about 42 personnel, including 28 operators. These personnel are recruited and trained by Kosy Group with the motto of prioritizing local people, mainly Lai Chau residents, which accounts for 80%, hence they would stay with the plant for a long time. Being asked about the qualities of the operator, Mr. Vu Kim Ham – Head of the Management Board of Nam Pac Hydropower Plant said: “Operation not only requires the operator to absolutely comply with the processes, rules and regulations in operation, but also need flexibility in handling in case of incident. Operators therefore not only need to have solid professional skills but also passion and enthusiasm to continuously learn and improve handling skills.”

Every day at Nam Pac Hydropower Plant, there are 3 operating shifts, starting at 7 am, 3 pm, and the last shift is from 11 pm. “Our joy, our happiness is very simple. As long as the machine and equipment runs smoothly, that makes us happy. If any problem occurs and we could manage to find the cause, then all would burst with joy. Or just when the lake ran out of water, the rain was nearly coming, the wind blew loudly (it was expected to rain heavily) but in the end it didn’t rain, we turned to look at each other and laughed happily. That’s it!”, added Mr. Ham.

Power plant operators – we liken them to being silent engineers, guarding the night stars, catching the sunrise so that electricity flows day and night from the plant to the national grid, lighting up the houses, starting factories that contribute to the general development of the country.

In the near future, Deputy General Director – Mr. Nguyen Duc Doanh said: “We will pay more attention to minor repair training for operators. In addition, a remote control center in Hanoi will soon be built to enhance the investor’s management and supervision capabilities. Along with that is the training and recruitment of personnel for new projects such as Muong Tung and Pa Vai Su Hydropower Plants. Human resource plays a decisive role in the entire operation and maintenance of power plants. That is why Kosy Group and the Management Board of plants always place great importance on recruiting and training human resources. This is the key to ensure smooth, safe and highly efficient operation, thereby affirming the capacity of Kosy Group in the investment of renewable energy sources.