Saigon's Power Lines Are Going Underground

You may have noticed on your morning commute that Saigon's power lines are slowly disappearing from overhead.

In an attempt to beautify the city streets and ensure better service continuity, state-run power supplier EVN is putting its electrical wires underground, reports Tuoi Tre.

Work began on the mammoth endeavor as far back as April, however things seem to have sped up recently, with EVN aiming to complete 38 subterranean electrical wire installment projects by the end of the year, an unnamed EVN representative told Tuoi Tre. So far, 10 of these projects have already finished, with several more planned for 2016.

City officials plan to bury 35% of Saigon's iconic electrical wiring by 2020, with the help of major telecom companies like Viettel, VNPT and SCTV. All cables in Districts 1 and 3 will go underground, as well as half the overhead wires in Binh Thanh and Phu Nhuan Districts.

To meet the goal, EVN must put 1,800 kilometers of wiring and 2,000 kilometers of cables under the city streets. For comparison, a drive from Hanoi to Saigon comes in at just over 1,800 kilometers, so the folks at EVN have their work cut out for them.

While some have raised concerns over the safety of underground wires, pointing to Saigon's many flood-related troubles, Deputy Head of EVN HCMC's planning department Vu Hoai Nam says the new underground wires are made of flood-proof materials.

A handful of other possible issues could also delay EVN's plans, including limited space beneath Saigon's narrow sidewalks and the danger of hitting already buried light cables and water pipelines, however for the moment all seems to be running on schedule.

The total cost of the city's wire-burying project is VND4.3 trillion (US$191.3 million), or about five times the cost of hanging power lines above the city streets.