Young shift leader at Ban Ve Hydropower Plant

We are present atBan Ve Hydroelectric Planta day in late October. This is the peak production time after the flood brought water to fill the lake. Ban Ve Hydropower Plant has a designed capacity of 320MW, started construction in 2004, and officially generated electricity in 2010. Only 12 years in operation, this is a fairly young factory and few people know that the engineers and workers working here are also very young. Their working age is equal to the number of years the plant has been in operation. However, in that time, they have mastered the technology, confidently operating the largest hydropower plant in the North Central region, in order to maximize the amount of electricity generated to the system.

Ban Ve Hydropower Plant seen from above. Photo: Linh Chi

Entercentral control room, we were amazed by the quiet space of a modern hydroelectric plant with the largest capacity in the area. Even though both units of the plant are still operating continuously. In the middle of the room are large control screens and a long table with many computers serving the operation. Next to it is a large glass door opening to the space facing the unit. And far away at the end of the room is a large board displaying the operating system diagram of the entire plant.

At this time, Chief of the shift Nguyen Tien Giap and his colleagues were sitting attentively in front of the computer screens with continuously updated information and data. "The factory's operations are all done automatically. There are 6 shifts taking turns operating, each shift will have 5 engineers. Except for maintenance and repair periods, the factory operates continuously, without rest" - Mr. Giap shared.

Engineers are working in the central control room, next to a large glass door opening onto the space facing the generator. Photo: Linh Chi

Born into a family of teachers in Vinh city, in 2007 after graduating with a degree in Electrical Systems from Hanoi University of Science and Technology, Nguyen Tien Giap was accepted to work at Ban Ve Hydropower Plant. At that time, the plant was under construction, but the engineering framework for operation had been built. Assigned to the Production Preparation Board, Giap continued to be sent to train as an Operation Shift Leader at Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant for 18 months. For him, this was a valuable time when he learned and accumulated operational experience from veteran engineers at the largest hydropower plant in Vietnam and Southeast Asia at that time.

Leaving Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, armed with the in-depth knowledge he had learned, Mr. Giap and the newly recruited young engineers in the Production Preparation Board focused on researching documents, learning about the new system, participating in supervising equipment installation, and organizing test runs as well as building a set of operating procedures for the Ban Ve Hydropower Plant.

The delegation of the Vietnam General Confederation of Labor presented gifts to the Trade Union of Ban Ve Hydropower Company. Photo: Dang Cuong

When the factory officially went into operation, with careful preparation, a spirit of learning and guidance from predecessors, Mr. Giap quickly caught up with the work. He always completed his tasks with his on-duty team and shift, ensuring the safe operation of equipment and the entire system. Thanks to that, from 2010 to 2018, he won the title of Emulation Fighter at the base for many consecutive years.

During his work, he has also continuously studied and improved his professional qualifications to serve his work. In 2017, he completed a Master's course in Electrical Engineering. This helped him gain a deeper understanding of electrical engineering as well as keep up with the development of modern technology. As he once shared, "The new plant has been generating electricity for more than 10 years. During its operation, I have to continuously research and improve my qualifications to operate the equipment effectively and safely. Only then can I overcome the backwardness of technology."

Engineer Nguyen Tien Giap at the Vietnam Electricity Group's Award Ceremony for Skilled Workers held last October. Photo: NVCC

After more than 10 years of working, in early 2018, after successfully passing the qualifying exams, Nguyen Tien Giap was recognized as the Shift Leader of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant. In his new position, he continues to strictly carry out the orders of his superiors, commanding the shift to complete the assigned tasks.

In addition to his professional activities, since 2017, Mr. Giap has also joined the Party Committee of the Operation Workshop. At the same time, he has actively participated in union activities and has been the Chairman of the Union of the Operation Workshop since 2010. He has always actively taken care of the spiritual life of his colleagues in the workshop, helping union members feel secure in their work.

Vietnam Electricity Group's skilled workers honored at the Presidential Palace. Photo: NVCC

In particular, during his work, Mr. Nguyen Tien Giap has continuously achieved high results in the company's safety tests and inspections. In 2022, he passed the internal selection exams of Ban Ve Hydropower Company, the preliminary rounds of Power Generation Corporation 1 and was nominated as one of 10 Shift Leaders representing Power Generation Corporation 1 to attend the Group-level Skilled Worker Competition held in Khanh Hoa (from October 5 to 7, 2022). At this competition, he was one of 57 people with high achievements, recognized as a Shift Leader/Skilled Worker at the Vietnam Electricity Group level.

“Being sent to participate in the Group-level Skilled Worker Competition is a great honor for me, because this competition is a gathering of many talented engineers from all companies and hydropower plants. This is a great opportunity for me to learn a lot of experience and professional knowledge from colleagues across the country. Thereby helping me to improve myself to complete all assigned tasks well" - Mr. Giap shared./.