Stay safe in danger

Electricity industry officers and workers before leaving for duty .

Part 1: There is a profession "hovering" in the sky

They are not superheroes or “spiderman” like in the cartoons that children often watch. However, in real life, electricians are really like those fictional characters. The work of an electrician is already associated with heights, but for a high-voltage line operator, that height must be many times higher. Swinging in the air, clinging to electric poles or straining to pull wires and support poles are the “unique” tasks of an electrician, all with the sole purpose of bringing electric light to every commune, village, and home.

Hard Days

Electricians are often "hovering" at heights of 30-50m.

We arrived at Lai Chau High Voltage Grid Enterprise (Lai Chau Electricity Company) on a day with quite nice weather. The whole enterprise only had a few leaders and staff on duty, while the electricians had gone to the base to check the power grid. Their footsteps seemed to be made of steel and copper, always steadfast on the roads of forests, mountains, rivers and streams to the poles, power lines and transformer stations to ensure the safety and smooth operation of the power grid. Sitting and chatting with Deputy Director of the Enterprise Kieu Thanh Trung and Mr. Cao Van Dap - Captain of the 110Kv Power Line Operation Management Team helped us understand more about their work.

Over the past 20 years, along with the establishment and development of the Electricity Company, Lai Chau High Voltage Grid Enterprise (formerly known as 110kV Workshop) has always accompanied, ensuring continuous electricity operation, bringing light to the villages on the land at the edge of the Northwest sky. The towering electric poles have covered all areas of the province, reaching high and long, connecting with many places in other provinces, forming a giant high voltage grid system, contributing to the success of the national grid.

Recalling the early days (2004), Mr. Dap - who has been with the Enterprise for many years - could not help but be moved. He shared: “I have been with the electricity industry for 20 years. At that time, the unit only had 16 officers and workers; assigned to manage and operate a 110kV Phong Tho transformer station with a transformer with a capacity of 16MVA, the management line was only nearly 70km long, supplying electricity to the provincial center and some old districts. Perhaps, there were many difficulties that could not be described in words, from roads, facilities to equipment and people. But we always tried our best and overcame them.”

Mr. Dap's story made us feel like we were "living" with the electricians. Although the power grid that the 110kV Workshop was assigned to manage was small, it stretched from Lao Cai to Lai Chau, across the majestic Hoang Lien Son range. That is where the terrain is strongly divided by mountains next to mountains, cliffs next to cliffs. Along the power line are winding mountain passes, steep slopes, where fog covers the mountain tops all year round. Every rainy season, when storms break out, lightning strikes continuously on the mountain tops; in winter it is cold, sometimes there is even ice and snow covering the wires and poles; the risk of an accident is always high. Despite the difficulties and harshness, the "orange-shirted soldiers" still stand firm along the line, overcoming the rain, wind, and cold fog, clinging to each pole, checking each connection to keep the 110kV power line stable and safe; shining forever in the vast Northwest.

...tireless steps

Since its establishment, Lai Chau 110kV Power Grid Enterprise has undergone many stages of change, closely linked to the development of the province's electricity industry. After several years of managing the Lao Cai - Lai Chau power line, in August 2006, in response to the need for innovation in operations, the unit was transferred from Lai Chau Power Company to the Northern High Voltage Power Enterprise and officially named Lai Chau 110kV Power Grid Operation Management Workshop. In 2007, the workshop added the 110kV Than Uyen Transformer Station, which was put into operation, which was also the time when Lai Chau's high voltage power grid took a new step forward, creating an important foundation for the process of providing stable and sustainable power. On July 23, 2010, the workshop changed its name to Lai Chau High Voltage Power Grid Branch, and then Lai Chau High Voltage Power Grid Enterprise.

The work of an electrician is not only hard but also dangerous.

“Up to now, the Enterprise has more than 54 officers, workers and employees, directly managing 439km of 110kV lines and 4 110kV transformer stations with a total capacity of 148MVA. For many people, these numbers may not be anything, but for the Enterprise's team of electricians, it is the crystallization of many years of hard work, the footprints along the Hoang Lien Son mountain range... Each electric pole and line bears the mark of sweat, effort and sense of responsibility of the electrician" - Mr. Kieu Thanh Trung excitedly boasted.

For years, the tireless steps of the electricians of Lai Chau High Voltage Grid Enterprise have not rested for a single day. They still cross mountain passes, streams, and follow trails in the deep forest to check each pole position and each porcelain chain. There are days when the sun is scorching hot, the outside temperature is 38-40 degrees Celsius, they still have to climb steel poles dozens of meters high; there are days when it suddenly rains in the forest, the whole team has to hide under the tree canopy to wait for the storm to pass. Each step is a challenge, but also a testament to their dedication to the profession.

In the midst of the vast mountains and forests, when the lights are shining brightly in every corner, commune, ward, and village, few people know that somewhere on the mountainside, there are still electricians quietly working, "hanging in the sky" to bring the light of civilization to every village.

(To be continued)

Source: https://baolaichau.vn/kinh-te/giu-an-toan-giua-hiem-nguy-614186