Vietnam Scraps 12 Planned Hydropower Projects
Published on by Water Network Research, Official research team of The Water Network in Government
The Ministry of Industry and Trade Scrapped a Dozen Hydropower ProjectsCiting Low Economic Benefits & High Environmental Risks
The projects were scheduled to be built in Dien Bien Province in the north, Quang Ngai in the center, and Kon Tum in the central highlands, he said at a recent review ofhydropower projectsheld by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and provincial people's committees.
To date, the government has removed 415 small projects from its hydroelectric development plan.
Cuong said investors in hydropower projects are mainly private firms with a poor understanding of the issues involved. Many hire hastily-established advisory agencies with limited experience, and construction enterprises with poor capacity to implement the projects.
During the construction process, some investors adjust the capacity of the hydroelectric projects or alter their designs without permission from related authorities, he said.
The ministry is now seeking to strengthen oversight on hydroelectric projects, especially small ones, he said.
Echoing Cuong, Nguyen Xuan Tien, chairman of the People's Committee of Lam Dong province, said whole forests were cut down for small hydroelectric projects that proved ineffective.
Compensation for local residents whose farms and houses were seized for the power plants has been slow to arrive due to investors' poor financial capacity, Tien said.
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