Da Nhim Hydropwer plant to be expanded Photo: VNA Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has urged the Da Nhim-Ham Thuan-Da Mi Hydropower Joint Stock Company (DHD) to accelerate investment and expand the scale of its Da Nhim plant. The Deputy PM made the remark while attending a ceremony to present Da Nhim Hydropower plant with the Labour Order Class 2 in Hanoi on January 15. Hai asked the joint stock company to nicely manage its hydropower plants, effectively participate in the competitive electric market, and raise the electricity supply per capita from the current 1,400kWH per year to 8,000-10,000 kWh per year. DHD was also asked to work alongside authorities in Lam Dong and Binh Thuan provinces to strictly ensure the safety for the plants and lowland areas in all circumstances, particularly during the flood season. Started in 1961, Da Nhim Hydropower Plant is one of the first hydropower projects in Vietnam and aimed to exploit the huge hydropower potential of the Dong Nai River . The plant has a total generating capacity of 160 MW, but contributes a mere 1 billion kWh of electricity to the national power grid every year. According to DHD General Director Nguyen Trong Oanh, the project to expand Da Nhim plant has been added to the National Master Plant for Power Development in the 2011- 2020 period. In December 2013, the Japanese and Vietnamese governments signed notes of exchange for official development assistance for the project, which will increase its total Da Nhim plant capacity to 240MW. Last year, DHD’s output totaled at over 2.9 billion kWh, 13.5 percent higher than expected output, while its turnover increased 29 percent.-VNA