The plant is being built in My Loc commune, Thai Thuy district, by the Electricity of Vietnam Group (EVN) and Japanese contractor Marubeni at an estimated cost of VND26.5 trillion (US$1.27 billion).
About 85% of the total comes from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA)'s ODA loan and the remaining 15% is sourced from the EVN.
The first turbine is scheduled to generate power in the fourth quarter of 2017,and the second in the second quarter of 2018. The two turbine groups will have a combined design capacity of 600MW and generate 3.6 billion kWhs annually.
Addressing the ceremony, Deputy PM Hai noted the project helps ensure an adequate supply of electricity not only for the northern region but also southern localities, especially during the dry season.
He asked local authorities and relevant agencies to speed up the project and protect the interests of displaced residents.
