Chương VII Luật Điện Lực 2004: Bảo vệ trang thiết bị điện, công trình điện lực và an toàn điện

Chapter VII

PROTECTION OF ELECTRIC EQUIPMENT, ELECTRICITY WORKS AND ELECTRIC SAFETY

Article 48.- Responsibility to protect electric equipment, electricity works and electric safety

1. Organizations and individuals have the responsibility to observe the law provisions on protection of electric equipment, electricity works and electric safety.

2. Organizations and individuals have the responsibility to notify in time the electricity units or competent state agencies of electric-unsafety phenomena as well as acts of violating the regulations on protection of electric equipment, electricity works and electricity safety upon the detection thereof.

3. The ministries, ministerial-level agencies, Government-attached agencies, People's Committees at all levels have the responsibility to organize and direct the observance of law provisions on protection of electric equipment, electricity works and electric safety.

Article 49.- Responsibility for implementation coordination upon the construction or renovation of electricity works and other works

1. Upon the construction, renovation or expansion of public works or other works, which may affect the safety of electric equipment, electricity works and electric safety, investors must coordinate with electricity units for settlement.

2. Upon the repair, renovation or construction of electricity works and installation of equipment, which may affect public works or other works, electricity units must coordinate with the concerned organizations and/or individuals for settlement.

3. Where the involved parties cannot reach agreement, they can request competent state agencies to settle and abide by the decisions of competent State agencies.

Article 50.- High-voltage electricity grid safety protection corridors

1. A high-voltage electricity grid safety corridor is the delimited space along an electricity transmission line or around a transformer station and specified according to voltage level.

2. The high-voltage electricity grid safety protection corridor includes:

a) The overhead electricity transmission line safety protection corridor;

b) The underground electric cable safety protection corridor;

c) The transformer station safety protection corridor.

3. The Government shall specify the high-voltage electricity grid safety protection corridors.

Article 51.- Overhead electricity transmission line safety protection

1. Owners or users of dwelling houses or works, which are allowed to exist in the overhead electricity transmission line safety protection corridors must not use the roofs or any parts of such dwelling houses or works for purposes, which may encroach upon the electricity discharge safety distance according to the voltage grades and must comply with the regulations on protection of overhead electricity transmission line safety when repairing, renovating the dwelling houses or works.

2. Before granting permits to organizations or individuals for construction, expansion or renovation of dwelling houses or works in the overhead electricity transmission line safety protection corridors, the permit-granting agencies must request the investing owners of such dwelling houses or works to agree in writing with the high-voltage electricity grid-managing units on measures to protect the safety of the overhead electricity transmission lines and the safety in the course of construction, expansion, renovation and use of such dwelling; houses or works.

3. Dwelling houses and works where people regularly live or work must not be allowed to exist in the safety protection corridors of the overhead electricity transmission lines of 500 kV or higher, except for specialized works in service of operation of such electricity grids.

4. All activities, if involving the use of equipment, instruments or means which may encroach upon the electricity discharge safety distance according to voltage grade, shall be banned from being carried out in overhead electricity transmission line protection corridors. In special cases where it is due to urgent defense or security requirements, agreement must be reached with the electricity grid-managing units on necessary safety protection measures.

5. At a cross-section between an overhead electricity transmission line and a land road or railway, the minimum height of the electricity transmission line at the lowest point when the line is in the state of maximum sagging is 4.5 meters plus the voltage-based electricity discharge safety distance.

 Where the highest points on the transport means are higher than the 4.5 meter-height, the means owners must contact the high-voltage electricity grid-managing unit for application of necessary safety measures.

6. At a cross-section between an overhead electricity transmission line and a railway reserved for electric trams, the minimum height of the transmission line at the lowest point when the line is in the state of maximum sagging is 7.5 meters plus the voltage-based electricity discharge safety distance.

7. At a cross-section between an overhead electricity transmission line and an inland waterway, the minimum height of the electricity transmission line at the lowest point when the transmission line is in the state of maximum sagging is equal to the overhead clearance height according to technical grade of the inland waterway plus the voltage-based electricity-discharge safety distance. The waterway transport means, when traveling through cross-sections between overhead electricity transmission lines and inland waterways must ensure that their heights shall not exceed the overhead clearance heights according to technical grades of such inland waterways.

The safety distance of the overhead electricity transmission lines cutting across sea routes shall be specified for each specific case.

8. When carrying out activities on land or underground near or in the overhead electricity transmission line safety protection corridors, which may affect the normal operation of the transmission lines or threaten to cause electric incidents or accidents, the units carrying out such activities must reach agreement with the electricity work-managing units on necessary safety protection measures.

Article 52.- Underground electric cable safety protection

1. It is forbidden to dig holes, pile goods, drive piles, plant trees, build houses and other works, anchor vessels in underground electric cable protection corridors.

2. It is forbidden to discharge cable-corroding water and substances, equipment into underground electric cable protection corridors.

3. In case of discharging water and other substances outside the underground electric cable protection corridors, which may infiltrate, corrode and damage the cables, the owners or managers, users of dwelling houses or works from which such water or substances are discharged, shall have to handle them so as not to affect the cables.

4. When building works on land or dredging rivers, lakes within the underground electric cable protection corridors, the builders must notify such to the electricity work-managing units at least ten days in advance and must apply measures to protect the safety of the underground electric cables.

Article 53.- Transformer station safety protection

1. Not to build dwelling houses, works or to plant trees of over two meters high in the transformer station safety protection corridors; not to encroach upon the walk-ins and walk-outs of transformer stations.

2. Dwelling houses or works built near transformer station protection corridors must ensure not to damage any parts of the stations.

Article 54.- Electricity generation safety

1. Power plants, electricity-generating stations must be strictly protected, surrounded by protection walls, signboards for electric safety, fire prevention and fighting; unauthorized persons are not allowed to enter power plants, electricity-generating stations.

Water reservoirs in service of hydro-electric power plants must be safely protected to meet the plants' water storing requirements. All acts of encroaching upon reservoir beds and polluting water sources, which affect the electricity-generating capacity are strictly forbidden.

2. The electric equipment rooms must be safely protected against fires and explosion; have signboards for danger areas, exits, adequate lighting system, electric equipment-air cooling system; air-ventilating holes must be net-protected against encroachment by animals, minimizing the adverse impacts on environment.

3. Depending on the technical properties and protection requirements of each type of electric equipment, protection nets, partitions and safety signboards must be put up; the safety distance from the protection nets or partitions to the electricity-carrying parts of equipment must not be shorter than the prescribed distance and measures must be worked out to minimize adverse environmental impacts on operation of electric equipment.

4. In areas where exist inflammables, explosion-prone substances, the electric systems must be designed and installed according regulations on fire and explosion prevention and fighting; only specialized fire- and explosion-preventing and -fighting equipment and tools shall be used.

5. The electric cable systems in power plants or electricity-generating stations must comply with the following regulations on safety:

a) Electric cables must be arranged tidily according to their types, technical properties, voltage levels and placed on wooden shelves. Electric cables running through areas affected with high heat must be heat- insulated and threaded through protection tubes;

b) Cable tunnels or ditches must be lidded, well drained, kept clean and dry. Not to let water, oil, chemicals, extraneous matters accumulate in cable tunnels and ditches. Cable tunnels must have walls to prevent fires from spreading widely; be furnished with automatic fire alarming and fighting system, lighting system at safe voltages suitable to electric safety regulations and technical standards.

6. Lightning-arresting and earthed equipment and systems in the power plants, electricity- generating stations, electricity-distributing stations must be installed strictly according to designs, pre-acceptance tested and periodically checked strictly according to electric safety regulations and technical standards.

Article 55.- Safety in electricity transmission, distribution

1. Electricity work owners shall have to:

a) Put up electric safety signboards at transformer stations, electric posts;

b) Color-paint and place signal lights on tops of posts of special heights and special positions in order to safely protect the high-voltage electricity grids.

2. At cross-sections between overhead high-voltage transmission lines, underground electric cables and railways, land roads, inland waterways, the placement and management of signboards and "no-cross" signboards for transport means shall comply with the regulations of the Transport Ministry. Owners of the subsequently built- works must bear the costs of placement of signboards and "no-cross" signboards.

3. When handing over electricity transmission works, the work investors must hand to the units managing the operation of the electricity grids all technical documents, pre-acceptance test records, land assignment or land lease decisions and documents related to compensations and ground clearance according to law provisions.

4. Units managing the operation of electricity grids must periodically organize the inspection, technical maintenance and overhaul of electricity grids, ensuring that the systems operate safely according to regulations on electric safety; conduct regular checks, detect and prevent acts of violating the regulations on electric safety, safely protect high-voltage electricity grids and coordinate for implementation of technical solutions and optimal operation in order to reduce electric energy loss in the course of electricity transmission.

5. When repairing or maintaining electricity transmission works, the units managing the operation of electricity grids and units performing the repair or maintenance must fully and strictly follow the order of safety measures prescribed by the regulations on electric safety techniques.

6. The high-voltage transmission line sections running over dwelling houses and/or works where people permanently live or work must be supported with steel or concrete poles, and the electric wires must not have joints in intervals between poles, except for electric wires of cross-section of 240 mm or over, which are permitted to have one joint for one eiectric phase and must meet other law-prescribed standards on protection of safety of high-voltage electricity grids. The units managing the operation of electricity grids must not overload such transmission lines.

7. Electric cables running underground or lying in the structure of other works or running together with communications lines must be guaranteed with safety distances prescribed by regulations on electric equipment and other relevant law provisions.

8. The lightning-arresting and earthed equipment and systems of the electricity transmission and distribution grids must be installed strictly according to designs, pre-acceptance tested and periodically checked strictly according to electric safety regulations and technical standards.

Article 56.- Safety in connection to national electric systems

1. The electricity-generating, -transmitting or -distributing units and electricity-using customers that meet the connection conditions, technical standards and procedures as provided for by the Industry Ministry shall be entitled to connect their own electric systems to national electric systems.

2. Only independent electricity grids, which satisfy all conditions and technical standards prescribed by the Industry Ministry, can be connected to national electric systems.

Article 57.- Safety in use of electricity for production

1. Organizations and individuals using electricity for production must comply with the regulations on electric safety, regulations and technical standards on electric safety must conform with Vietnamese standards.

2. Electric equipment, systems of electric equipment, lightning-arresting and earthed systems must be pre-acceptance tested, periodically and extraordinarily checked according to the electric safety regulations and technical standards. The diagrams of these systems must be compatible with actual positions and be archived together with inspection minutes throughout the course of operation.

3. The internal transformer stations, high-voltage equipment and transmission lines must be installed and managed according to electric safety regulations and technical standards.

4. Electric equipment must conform to "Vietnamese Standard - Low-Voltage Electric Equipment - General Requirements on Protection against Electric Shocks" and " Vietnamese Standard - Regulations on Earth-Connection and Air-Connection of Electric Equipment" to prevent electric shocks.

5. Electricity transmission lines, electric conductors must be designed and installed to ensure clear and airy production ground, thus avoiding mechanical or chemical impacts with may cause breakdowns. Metal structures of workshops, machinery, metal tubes must not be used as "neutral conductors," except for special cases where separate designs approved by competent state bodies are required.

6. The electric systems in areas where exist inflammables, explosion-prone substances must be designed, installed and used according to the provisions of Clause 4, Article 54 of this Law.

7. Electric equipment used in minerals exploitation, electric instruments, mobile electric equipment, welding machine, electrolysis, electroplating equipment must conform to the relevant electric safety regulations and technical standards.

Article 58.- Safety in use of electricity for daily-life and service activities

1. The total output of electric equipment used in offices, daily-life and service activities must conform to the designed capacity; the cross-sections and insulation durability of electric wires must conform to technical standards.

2. Heat-emitting electric equipment must not be placed near things easy to catch fire or to explode.

3. Electric equipment must be checked and maintained according to regulations, satisfy the electric safety technical standards and not cause dangers to users.

4. Electricity-using organizations and individuals shall have to organize the examination of safety of their respective electric systems, detecting and preventing in time dangers of electric incidents or accidents.

5. Low-voltage electricity grids shall be built only after their designs are approved.

6. Electric branch lines conducting electricity to dwelling houses, works must satisfy electric safety conditions, ensure beautiful look and not hinder activities of traffic means, ambulances, fire-fighting engines.

7. In three-phase four-wire electric circuits, automatic circuit breakers, switches, fuses and other circuit-breaking equipment must not be connected to the neutral wires.

8. In one-phase two-wire electric circuits, fuses and switches must be connected to the phase wire, but not to the neutral wire. Automatic circuit breakers and two-pole knife-switches are encouraged to be installed so as to simultaneously switch on/off of two wires.

Article 59.- Using electricity as direct protection means

1. Using electricity as a direct protection facility means the use of electric source with appropriate voltage for direct connection with fences, barriers or shields of protected areas (hereinafter referred collectively to as electric fences) in order to prevent the infiltration into the protected areas and to emit alarming signals to persons guarding such areas.

2. Electricity shall be used as a direct protection means only when other protection measures have been applied inefficiently, and such must be permitted by competent state agencies.

3. Electric fences must be designed and installed to avoid all accidental contacts with people and cattle, to have danger signboards, not to affect the operation of electric system and not to cause danger to vicinities and living environment. The electric fence managers and users must be professionally trained in electricity.

4. The Minister of Public Security, the Minister of Defense shall, within the ambit of their respective tasks and powers, prescribe areas permitted for use of electric fences.

5. The Industry Minister shall prescribe standards and conditions for using electricity as direct protection means.