An overview of Phu Quoc
An Giang Power Company said that a major outage hit Phu Quoc on November 29 when the 110 kV undersea cable supplying the island failed at 1.15 pm, leaving Duong Dong, Cua Can, Cua Duong, Ham Ninh and the entire northern area without power.
The fault occurred near the Ha Tien coast, believed to be caused by a coastal-road construction contractor driving piles in violation of grid safety corridors, damaging the cable.
The company said the repair time will depend on the extent of the damage and the selected technical solution.
Phu Quoc currently receives electricity from two sources: the 110 kV Ha Tien-Phu Quoc undersea cable and the 220 kV Kien Binh-Phu Quoc transmission line. As they are not linked in a ring circuit, the cable failure triggered a large-scale blackout.
To improve reliability, Southern Power Corporation has been building new 110 kV lines connecting Phu Quoc with North Phu Quoc and South Phu Quoc, along with a 220 kV substation on the island. However, delays in land-clearance compensation have slowed progress, preventing the projects from being energised as planned.
The corporation said the current incident is complex. Diesel generators from affiliated companies are being deployed to supply rotating power, supplemented by customer-owned generators.
Due to high demand and a distribution radius of more than 40 kilometres, some areas such as Cua Duong, Cua Can and the northern part of the island remain without electricity.
The Ha Tien-Phu Quoc 110 kV undersea cable, put into operation in 2014, stretches nearly 58 kilometres and cost more than VND 2.33 trillion (approximately USD 89 million).
Phu Quoc is located about 120 kilometres east of Rach Gia and 45 kilometres west of Ha Tien, covering 570 square kilometres with a population of nearly 160,000. The island is a major tourist destination attracting domestic and international visitors.
