Duong Huu Hoa, deputy director of the Project Management Unit Metro Line 1 under the Ho Chi Minh City Management Authority for Urban Railways (MAUR) said that, “we are speeding up the implementation of package 2 which covers the line along the Hanoi Highway. So far, we have completed more than half of the main construction work.”

In the near future, the construction will be carried out along the Van Thanh, Saigon, and Rach Chiec bridges, as well as the Hanoi Highway and Dien Bien Phu overpasses. “By the end of 2015, the elevated section of the railway along the Hanoi Highway will have taken shape,” he added.

Some changes in the implementation of the project have been made in the city centre with the construction unit handing over land at the junction of Nguyen Hue and Le Loi streets and one part of the Municipal Theatre Station. Nguyen Hue street will also be pedestrianised by April 30.

According to Hoa, the project contractors have continued work at the city’s Lam Son Park and a section of Le Loi street. The work on retaining walls is scheduled to be finished by the end of April.  

Although the project has shown progress, there have been some delays, especially related to site clearance. Regarding delays involving a private company in the neighbouring province of Binh Duong’s Di An town, Hoa said that the provincial authorities were proposing  measures to force the company to hand over land by the end of the month.

In the meantime,  Japanese contractor Sumitomo Corporation has requested the city to pay compensation of up to $100,000 per day due to delays in the construction of the Metro Line 1. As the hand-over of the site has been delayed for over 20 months when compared to the deadline in the contract, the Japanese contractor has unsurprisingly submitted a written complaint.

“Apart from the reasonable additional costs,” Hoa said, “not all the expenses will be covered. Currently, MAUR and the contractor are negotiating to address the problem adequately.” In February, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai during his visit to the project site told Binh Duong to speed up the site hand-over for the construction of the Metro Line 1 by the end of March.

“Following guidance, MAUR is actively co-operating with the provincial authorities to provide cleared land for the contractor,” Hoa stressed. In addition, MAUR is showcasing a train carriage from March 16 to April 15 to draw comments from the public. The exhibition is aimed at collecting feedback on the design, colour, and interior design of the train. Based upon this, the city authorities will pass on these details to the train designer.

“The first train will be shipped to Vietnam in June next year. It will be inspected before the contractor builds the remaining 16 trains. MAUR will also differentiate  various metro lines using different colours,” Hoa noted.

Toshiba to supply steam turbines and generators for Duyen Hai 3 extension coal-fired power plant

Toshiba Corporation (Tokyo: 6502) today announced to have received an order to supply 688MW super-critical steam turbine and generator (STG) for the Duyen Hai 3 extension coal-fired power plant in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh.

The contract was awarded by Japan’s Sumitomo Corporation, the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor for the project. Toshiba will make delivery in 2016 and the plant will start operation in 2018.

The Duyen Hai 3 extension coal-fired power plant invested in by the state-run Electricity of Vietnam with the total investment capital VND22.7 trillion (more than $1 billion), start construction in December last year. The new power plant, a part of the 4,348 megawatt Duyen Hai power centre, will be able to produce 3.9 billion kWh of electricity every year.

Toshiba has a track record for supplying electric generation equipment for large coal-fired thermal power plants in Vietnam. In the last six years, the company has been awarded orders for the Vung Ang 1 thermal power plant, the Thai Binh 2 thermal plant and the Vinh Tan 4 Thermal Plant. This experience, and the performance and reliability of Toshiba’s STGs, won a positive evaluation from Sumitomo Corporation.

Toshiba said that the firm would continue its effort to develop thermal generation equipment with the world’s highest level of efficiency for super-critical coal fired plants and for combined cycle thermal power plants, and to reinforce its thermal power plant business in emerging countries. Going forward, Toshiba Group will look to contribute to economic development in emerging countries by supporting measures to secure stable power supply.

Toshiba Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, channels world-class capabilities in advanced electronic and electrical product and systems into five strategic business domains: energy and infrastructure, community solutions, healthcare systems and services, electronic devices and components, and lifestyles products and services.

Founded in Tokyo in 1875, today’s Toshiba is at the heart of a global network of over 590 consolidated companies employing over 200,000 people worldwide, with annual sales surpassing 6.5 trillion yen ($63 billion).