From a poor island district with poor infrastructure, Co To island inthe northern province of Quang Ninh has strived to become a famoustourist destination. One of the biggest breakthroughs for the islandcame with its access to the national grid last year, reports theCommunist Party of Vietnam online newspaper.
From October 16,2013, backward, the district had to use generators to produceelectricity. To cater to the power demand of over 6,000 islanders, eachyear Co To district had to spend over 30 billion VND (1.4 million USD),including 10 billion VND from the State and the rest paid by islanders.
Thislarge expense partly held back the development of some spearheadeconomic industries, including tourism, fishing and the processing offish.
For that reason, Quang Ninh province and the NorthernPower Corporation (NPC) have decided to bring power to the district. Aproject worth over 1.1 trillion VND was officially launched on November4, 2012, to build diverse works, including 23.226 kilometres of 110kVline, 25.064 kilometres of undersea cable, and 43.333 kilometres of 22kVoverhead line.
The national grid has created a facelift to thedistrict, remarkably improving locals' lives. Islanders do not hesitateto use power for economic development.
Ngo Van Tuat, in Co Totown, said that earlier, as the power fee was very expensive, he had topay at least 200,000 VND per month. When his family used the power fromthe national grid, he only had to pay 100,000 VND for several electronicdevices.
“With the inexpensive electricity fee, I bought more fridges to keep seafood fresher and saved more money,” he said.
The electricity also brought the island greater opportunities fordeveloping tourism – the sector that was set as a spearhead industry forthe district.
According to Nguyen Duc Thanh, Secretary of thedistrict Party Committee, over the past 30 years, some 1,300 housesworth 90 billion VND were built on Co To island. However, within sixmonths of having access to the national grid, people built over 500houses worth 100 billion VND for accommodation and to welcome visitors.
At present, many families are expanding their houses to provide accommodation with greater comfort for visitors.
During the 2014 tourism reason, the district invests more in express buses and trams to serve tourism.
“The district’s socio-economic development has seen a breakthrough thanks to the national grid,” said Thanh.-VNA
From October 16,2013, backward, the district had to use generators to produceelectricity. To cater to the power demand of over 6,000 islanders, eachyear Co To district had to spend over 30 billion VND (1.4 million USD),including 10 billion VND from the State and the rest paid by islanders.
Thislarge expense partly held back the development of some spearheadeconomic industries, including tourism, fishing and the processing offish.
For that reason, Quang Ninh province and the NorthernPower Corporation (NPC) have decided to bring power to the district. Aproject worth over 1.1 trillion VND was officially launched on November4, 2012, to build diverse works, including 23.226 kilometres of 110kVline, 25.064 kilometres of undersea cable, and 43.333 kilometres of 22kVoverhead line.
The national grid has created a facelift to thedistrict, remarkably improving locals' lives. Islanders do not hesitateto use power for economic development.
Ngo Van Tuat, in Co Totown, said that earlier, as the power fee was very expensive, he had topay at least 200,000 VND per month. When his family used the power fromthe national grid, he only had to pay 100,000 VND for several electronicdevices.
“With the inexpensive electricity fee, I bought more fridges to keep seafood fresher and saved more money,” he said.
The electricity also brought the island greater opportunities fordeveloping tourism – the sector that was set as a spearhead industry forthe district.
According to Nguyen Duc Thanh, Secretary of thedistrict Party Committee, over the past 30 years, some 1,300 housesworth 90 billion VND were built on Co To island. However, within sixmonths of having access to the national grid, people built over 500houses worth 100 billion VND for accommodation and to welcome visitors.
At present, many families are expanding their houses to provide accommodation with greater comfort for visitors.
During the 2014 tourism reason, the district invests more in express buses and trams to serve tourism.
“The district’s socio-economic development has seen a breakthrough thanks to the national grid,” said Thanh.-VNA
