Distant areas in the central Vietnamese province of Quang Binh will soon be brought out of the dark thanks to solar power from a South Korea-funded project that broke ground on Wednesday.

Located in Bo Trach District, the US$13.78 million plant will bring light to the province’s remote areas that are not connected to the national grid.

More than 1,294 households in 46 villages and 78 public service units in four districts are expected to benefit from the project.

The South Korean government, via the Economic Development Cooperation Fund (EDCF), will provide $12 million in soft loans to support the project.

All of the equipment necessary for the solar power plant will be supplied by the East Asian country.

The project is scheduled to begin supplying power in the fourth quarter of 2016.

This is the 56^th EDCF-supported project in Vietnam, making the Southeast Asian country the top recipient of the South Korean government-backed fund.

Prior to the Quang Binh project, the fund pledged $41 million in aid for a water supply project in the southern province of Dong Nai.

The EDCF has so far loaned more than $2.08 billion to projects in Vietnam.

The South Korean government launched the EDCF in 1987 with the purpose of promoting economic cooperation between Korea and developing countries, and helping development there, according to the fund website.

Seoul has since supplied more than 10 trillion won ($9 billion) in aid, according to Yonhap News Agency.

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