Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung attended a ceremony to inaugurate the Vung Ang 1 Thermal Power Plant in Ky Anh district, the central province of Ha Tinh on September 17. Construction on the 1.25-billion-USD plant started in July 2009. The first turbine of the 1,200MW plant began operational in August 2014, while the second one started generating electricity in April this year, contributing a total of 3 billion kWh to the national grid so far. When running at full capacity, the plant is expected to provide around 7.2 billion kWh for the national grid each year, with annual proceeds of 7-8 trillion VND (308-352 million USD), thus helping deal with electricity deficiency and ensure energy security for the national industrialisation and modernisation. That the two turbines generate electricity at designed capacity marks a turning point as this is the coal-fueled plant having the biggest-ever capacity, PM Nguyen Tan Dung said at the ceremony. The Government leader praised efforts made by the Vietnam Lilama Machinery Erection Corporation and Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, saying that it is the first time the main contractors of a large-scale project are Vietnamese-owned enterprises. Then he participated in a ceremony to inaugurate the first coal-fueled turbine of a power plant of the Formosa Group located in the Vung Ang Economic Zone. He expressed hope that the Taiwanese group will continue efforts to ensure the progress of the project and contribute more to the socio-economic development in Ha Tinh and the northern central region. The PM also visited the construction site of the Son Duong deep-water port at the economic zone. While meeting provincial leaders earlier, PM Dung asked them to continue ensuring defence security and social safety and order, attracting more investment, improving the investment environment and reforming administrative procedures, together with Party building and economic development. The province was urged to exert additional efforts to achieve 2015 targets, while working out socio-economic plans for the next five years. The Government always creates favourable conditions for Ha Tinh to grow further in order to speed up the development of the northern central region and the entire country, he added. According to Secretary of the provincial Party Committee Vo Kim Cu, Ha Tinh recorded an average annual economic growth rate of 18.7 percent over the past five years. This year, the figure is expected to reach over 28 percent. The province ranks sixth nationwide in terms of foreign investment attraction, and is one of the five localities leading the country in new-style rural area building.-VNA