On the evening of 5/12, Dien luc An Giang announced that it had erected four overhead poles from the Ha Tien coast, salvaged the submarine cable onto a barge, cut the damaged section, and then proceeded with welding. Technicians will inspect and test the connection to ensure safety, aiming to energize the system at 22h and fully restore power for residents and businesses in Phu Quoc.

Dien luc An Giang erects overhead lines to restore power to Phu Quoc. Photo: Duong Dong

This approach by the electricity sector aims to restore the power grid as quickly as possible, avoiding the long duration and complex human resources required for submarine cable repair. The complete repair of the submarine cable will continue, expected to take several months if weather conditions are favorable.

The submarine cable incident occurred on 29/11 when a construction unit building the Ha Tien coastal road drove piles, violating the electrical safety corridor. This caused power outages in the areas of Duong Dong, Cua Can, Cua Duong, Ham Ninh, and the entire northern part of the island. The incident affected nearly 30,000 households and many tourist establishments, also disrupting clean water supply.

Following the incident, the electricity company mobilized 20 generators and simultaneously supplied 25 MW of power from the Nam Phu Quoc 110/22 kV station via the 22 kV grid. However, over 6,000 customers still experienced rotational power outages, especially businesses forced to operate generators at high costs.

Phu Quoc receives electricity from the 110 kV Ha Tien - Phu Quoc submarine cable and the 220 kV Kien Binh - Phu Quoc line. However, these two lines are not yet interconnected in a loop due to land clearance obstacles hindering infrastructure investment.

Leaders of the Phu Quoc Special Zone People's Committee stated they would soon resolve these obstacles and hand over the land on schedule for the electricity company to connect the two power sources.

Ngoc Tai