The Vietnam Electricity Corporation said construction of the Se San 3 hydro-power plant would start in late June.

The Se San 3 will have two generator units with total capacity of 273 megawatts. Total investment for the project is VND 4,000 billion.

The project will be carried out in four years. The Song Da corporation, the main builder of the Hoa Binh hydropower plant and the Yaly hydropower plant, will be the main contractors of the Se San 3 hydro power plant. It is estimated that when completed, the Se San 3 will provide 1.2 billion kilowatt hours of electricity each year to the national grid.

Vietnam will build 24 new hydro power plants from now until 2010, according to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN).

In the 2002-2003 period, the corporation will start construction of Se San 3, Na Hang, Rao Quan, Plei Krong and other hydro-power plants and prepare for the construction of other plants after 2003 including the country’s largest hydro-power plant, Son La. Other projects underway after 2003 include Ban La, Ha Song Ba, Ka Nak- An Khe, Se San 4, Buon Kuop and Dong Nai 3+4.

According to the development plan submitted to the government by the EVN, Vietnam will build all possible hydropower plants on major rivers in the country within the next 10 to 20 years, with total capacity of about 4,600 megawatts.