Government sniffing out sub-standard hydro projects

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Le Duong Quang last week said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is reviewing two controversial hydroelectricity projects in Cat Tien National Park and would remove them from the country’s power development master plan.

The review started after experts raised concerns over the negative impact projects Dong Nai 6 and Dong Nai 6A would have on the biodiversity and environment of the UNESCO world biosphere reserve and protected forests of the surrounding area.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai agreed in principle to the projects in September 2009 and added them to the nation’s power development master plan for 2006-2015 with a vision to 2025. They are slated for investment of $178 million and $142.5 million, respectively, and would be built by locally-owned Duc Long Gia Lai Group.

Quang explained that the quality and safety of small-scale hydropower plants and irrigation works nationwide were being checked and the results would be submitted to the National Assembly.

He added that any violators of regulations would be swiftly and strictly punished on were evaluating projects based on dam and reservoir safety, expected deforestation, relocation of local people, environmental impact, and effectiveness.

In April, the Kre 2 hydroelectric dam in Gia Lai province, by Bao Long – Gia Lai Industry and Hydro-power Joint Stock Company broke open, flooding hectares of farmland.

This is the third dam failure in the past few months and follows the collapse of dams Dakrong 3 in Quang Tri and Dak Mek in Kon Tum in 2012.

Central Dong Nai province cancelled four small-scale hydropower plants after environmental concerns and project delays worried local authorities. Other dam projects that face potential shutdown include Tam Rao, Tam Linh, and Son Ha.

As per the government’s power plan, hydropower is prioritized along with thermal, coal-fired, gas-fired, and oil-fired power generation.

Between 1994 and 2010, 23 medium and large-scale hydropower plants were opened with a designed capacity of 6200 megawatts. Vietnam’s river system boasts more than 500 hydropower plants, big and small, said the MoIT.