Clarifying concerns in adjusting the planning of Yen Thang Hydropower Project

People's feelings

Right after the article "Adjusting project planningYen Thang Hydropower Plant: Listening to the people's wishes!" was published in the issue dated October 29, 2020, we continue to receive relevant information and documents. That is Notice No. 62/TT-MTTQ-BTT dated October 19, 2020 of the Standing Committee of the Fatherland Front of Tuong Duong district announcing the results of synthesizing people's opinions sent to the Secretary of the District Party Committee at the direct dialogue conference between the head of the Party Committee, district government with the Secretary, Village Chief, Head of the Front Working Committee of the village, hamlet and people in 2020.

Notice No. 62/TT-MTTQ-BTT includes 5 major questions. Regarding the hydropower sector, the question is: "People are worried (especially the people of Yen Thang and Luu Kien communes) and are still not confident that the competent authorities will continue to allow units to explore and survey to build medium and small hydropower projects in the area." The question is structured as follows: "As the head of the Party Committee, please let us know if in the coming time the competent authorities continue to allow hydropower projects in the area, what is your opinion? Do you agree to allow or not to allow hydropower projects? Please have a clear opinion before the people? The consequences of the Ban Ve, Khe Bo, Ban Ang, Nam Non hydropower plants... have not been completely resolved. Therefore, what is the Secretary's leadership and direction viewpoint in the coming time?

In 2016, the Tuong Duong District Party Committee had a very clear stance on the issue that the people of Tuong Duong District are currently concerned about and want the Party Committee's leaders to answer. Specifically, on October 28, 2016, the Tuong Duong District Party Committee issued Report No. 148 - BC/HU titled "Report to the province on the implementation of hydropower projects in Tuong Duong District; shortcomings, obstacles and some recommendations", sent to the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee and the Provincial People's Committee.

To make the Provincial Party Standing Committee and the Provincial People's Committee clear about the actual situation, in Document No. 148 - BC/HU, Tuong Duong District Party Committee reported on the number of hydropower projects that have been completed and put into operation (Ban Ve Hydropower Plant, Khe Bo Hydropower Plant, Nam Non Hydropower Plant), hydropower projects under construction (Ban Ang Hydropower Plant, Xoong Con Hydropower Plant), hydropower projects that have started construction but not built (Xop Coc Hydropower Plant, Yen Thang Commune), and hydropower plans (Xoong Con Hydropower Plant, Pung Village in Luu Kien Commune).

At the same time, detailed statistics on problems, backlogs, and obstacles related to hydropower projects. These include slow progress in compensation and site clearance for hydropower projects; Some funding, compensation policies, and support for site clearance and resettlement have not been implemented or have not been implemented fully and promptly; Surveying and constructing resettlement sites for hydropower projects still have many problems.

The planned construction site of Yen Thang Hydropower Dam is located at the end of Ngon village, the beginning of Xop Khau village; Nguyen stream, the end of Ngon village; A family's house is located close to Nguyen stream. Photo: PV

The consequences arising from hydropower projects are also stated in great detail. That is, the entire political system of the district and communes affected by the project must spend a lot of time and effort to mobilize resettlement and resolve related backlogs and problems. Therefore, it has greatly affected the implementation of economic and social tasks, hunger eradication, poverty reduction, security and national defense in the area; The projects have flooded more than 5,000 hectares of residential land and agricultural land (currently the whole district has only about 900 hectares of flat land and rice fields), greatly affecting production and people's lives; The arrangement of residents and construction of infrastructure for residential clusters to move above the flood level for on-site resettlement face many difficulties, due to steep terrain conditions and high risk of landslides, especially in heavy rain and floods; Investors, relevant levels and sectors have only focused on compensation work to reclaim land for hydropower projects; they have not paid due attention to job training and supporting people to change their careers, so people's lives have encountered many difficulties...

Based on the above situation, the Standing Committee of Tuong Duong District Party Committee proposed that the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee "adopt a policy of not planning more, removing from the planning and not granting licenses to implement hydropower projects that have not been implemented (or have started but not yet built) in Tuong Duong district"; and requested the Provincial People's Committee to "urge and direct investors to fully and promptly implement the policy of compensation, site clearance and resettlement for people affected by the hydropower project; supplement plans to support people's livelihoods and contribute to the socio-economic development in the locality of the project area".

Notice No. 11-TB/TU remains valid!

During the process of studying and adjusting the planning of Yen Thang hydropower project, we asked a responsible official about the viewpoint of hydropower development in the province. He informed us about Notice No. 11-TB/TU of the Provincial Party Standing Committee. And exchanged: "Five years ago, in Notice No. 11-TB/TU, the Provincial Party Standing Committee had an opinion on the hydropower sector. If you ask about the viewpoint, that is the viewpoint of our province. This notice is in the Documents of Nghe An Provincial Party Committee, term XVIII, you can refer to it...".

Access to Notice No. 11-TB/TU, issued on November 4, 2015, is the notice of the opinion of the Provincial Party Standing Committee on the policy of building hydropower plants in the province. The full text of Notice No. 11-TB/TU is as follows:

“To ensure the development of agriculture and forestry, maintain the ecological environment for sustainable development in the province, without being negatively affected by the hydropower system; at the meeting on October 27, 2015, the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee gave opinions on the policy of building hydropower plants in the province as follows:

- Do not continue to research and survey to establish hydropower projects in the province (including projects already in the planning). The Provincial People's Committee reviews and reports to the Provincial Party Committee Standing Committee to submit to the Government and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to propose removing from the planning hydropower projects that do not have investors.

- For projects that have been established by investors and are being implemented unfinished, continue to be implemented according to plan, but require speeding up the project implementation progress.

- Notice to the Party Executive Committee of the Provincial People's Committee for direction of implementation".

In recent days, at the 10th Session of the 14th National Assembly, the hydropower sector was one of the major issues that received special attention, with many exchanges, dissections, and clarifications. Following the press coverage of the session, it is worth noting the article: "Minister Tran Tuan Anh: Hydropower is not allowed to use even 1m2 of natural forest land" (VOV electronic newspaper published on November 1, 2020).

In this article, in response to the question: "How will the Ministry of Industry and Trade implement the small and medium hydropower sector, as well as power projects that still use a lot of land and have to convert land and forest land?", Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh answered: "Hydropower, small and medium hydropower are still very valuable resources to serve the country's development. But if we use them without strict control and limit the impact on the environment, these will certainly be great risks for the country's sustainable development, not to mention the anomalies and extreme weather in the context of climate change that is having an increasingly strong impact. Therefore, certainly in the Electricity Master Plan 8 (Master Plan for National Power Development for the period 2021-2030, vision to 2045 - PV), we will also update and stipulate very clearly, regardless of the scale of any hydropower project, if it only uses 1m2 of natural forest land will also be excluded and never allowed to be implemented. In addition, the requirements when assessing the environmental impact of energy projects in general,hydroelectricin particular will be upgraded and organized to be controlled more tightly and systematically.

Previously, on October 24, 2020, many press agencies published a statement on the sidelines of the National Assembly by Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha, that hydropower always has two sides and the Ministry's viewpoint is "not to encourage the development of small hydropower at all costs". Thus, it can be seen that Notice No. 11-TB/TU of 2015 of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee is still valid!