The US$62.5 million project will construct medium and low voltage transmission lines and transformer stations to deliver electricity to 1,200 villages and hamlets that currently have no access to power.

85 percent of the project funding will come from the state budget and the rest from Electricity of Vietnam.

The project is part of the provinces’ plan for economic restructuring and socio-economic growth by 2010.

The region aims to supply electricity to 90-95 percent of rural areas with an estimated investment of US$200 million.

This means the energy sector will have to achieve an annual growth of 20 pecent to ensure its per capita commercial electricity output of 500kW.

At present, the Central Highlands has 56 districts and towns with almost all communes and 82 percent of households coonnected to the national electricity grid.

The remaining households without electricity are in isolated and remote areas.

It is expected that more than 16,000 of 173,396 households will be lit up by 2009. The remainder will get electricity in following years through other projects.