Hydropower projects getting the axe

“After reviewing a report done by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the prime minister issued a Document on September 23 that suggested they be disqualified from the national hydropower plan,” Hoang announced at a National Assembly Standing Committee meeting.

The 135 megawatt $212 million Dong Nai 6 and 106MW $165.6 million Dong Nai 6A would have supplied a billion kilowatt hours and reduce 514,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide annually.

Since 2011, both projects have been criticised heavily by scientists and experts for not complying with legal regulations and environmental safety standards.

Most questionable was them being located in the southern Cat Tien protected forest and the Cat Tien National Park, which was named a world Biosphere Reserve in 2001.

“These two projects are among many that have and will get the chop,” Hoang stressed.

Since 2012, the prime minister has repeatedly asked MoIT and localities to review the development of hydropower projects, saying that ineffective or environmentally harmful projects would be removed.

Under the previous plan approved by the prime minister, Vietnam has 1,239 hydropower projects in total, many running, others still planned. They have a designed capacity of 26,000MW.

“However, we have recently cut out ineffective projects. 815 were retained with a capacity of 24,300MW including 268 that are operational, 205 under construction and slated to go on-line between now and 2017,” explained a MoIT report on Vietnam’s hydropower development released at the meeting.

“Projects that need further review include 149 small-scale plants and nine cascade facilities,” the report added.

Nguyen Ty Nien, a local expert with 50 years’ experience in the local water sector, said that although hydropower had greatly benefited the country, there were now far too many and the country’s plan was becoming excessive.

“Deforestation and pollution are rampant in areas with hydropower projects which change waterways and damage the local ecosystem,” Nien said.

Quang Nam province’s Department of Natural Resources and Environment reported that 43 hydropower projects had damaged and destroyed nearly 10,000 hectares of forest. It noted the Song Tranh 2 and 3 as the plant’s that had done the most damage.

On average, 16 hectares of forest need to be destroyed to produce a single megawatt of power.

Last year MoIT reported that hydropower made up 48.26 and 43.9 per cent of Vietnam’s total power capacity and volume, respectively.