Tired of thermal power project not being implemented

People wait wearily

When we arrived at Tan Minh village of Quynh Lap commune, the first thing we saw was the rotten thermal power project planning board, the words were no longer clear. The planned location of the factory's administrative area is still just an empty lot, many areas are zoned off by people for shrimp farming, vegetable growing... Unable to leave, unable to stay is the current situation of hundreds of households in 3 villages of Quynh Lap commune, Hoang Mai town.
When meeting with villagers, many expressed their frustration because they did not know when the project would be implemented, which would greatly affect people's lives. Ms. Tran Thi Phuong, a resident of Tan Minh village, reflected: "Because of the project planning, we have had difficulties in renovating our houses and separating households; our children's education is also not guaranteed, there is a lack of classrooms and they have to study in rooms surrounded by corrugated iron... The wish of the majority of people in the project planning is to know exactly "whether to stay or go", and when the project will be implemented?".

The board announcing the planning of the Quynh Lap 1 thermal power project is torn. Photo: Thu Huyen

According to the people's feedback, after the grand groundbreaking day (October 1, 2015), the investor has made almost no further moves, the land acquisition process is not yet completed. The "billion dollar" thermal power plant, which is highly anticipated by the people, has been idle for a long time; in the living conditions of a coastal area with limited land and a large population, many households want to build houses and separate land titles for their children but are stuck.

We visited Mr. Hoang Van Na's family when they were cleaning up their dilapidated kitchen. Mr. Na said that the house was built more than 20 years ago, the kitchen was seriously degraded, not ensuring light, hygiene, damp and cramped, but because of planning issues, they could not repair or upgrade. His family has 3 sons who are married but have not yet been able to separate the land title, 4 households live together on 1 old plot of land of the family.

Mr. Hoang Van Dong - Head of Tan Minh village, Quynh Lap commune said: Currently, the village has 310 households, with about 1,250 people (in 2010, there were only 200 households, 1,000 people). Because it is in the planning to build 2 coal-fired thermal power plants, but the project is slow to implement or is implemented at a moderate level, affecting the lives of people in upgrading and repairing houses, schools and some other constructions.

The kindergarten in Tan Minh village had to be built with corrugated iron because it was part of the project planning. Mr. Hoang Van Na in Tan Minh village, Quynh Lap commune cleaned up his kitchen which had deteriorated because it was not upgraded. The land was narrow and the population was large, but many families in Tan Minh village, Quynh Lap commune could not separate households or make land titles because of the project planning. Photo: Thu Huyen

Mr. Nguyen Van Nho - Chairman of Quynh Lap Commune People's Committee added: When there was information about the project being invested in the area, the local government and people were very confident and excited, expecting that the project would be put into operation, not only creating jobs, contributing hundreds of billions of VND to the local budget but also contributing to ensuring national energy security.

However, since the groundbreaking day until now, the project has been at a standstill, with no further developments. The resettlement area is still unfinished, and with the current population and number of households, it cannot meet the demand. The three villages in the project planning, Dong Minh, Dong Thanh and Tan Minh, face many difficulties in transportation, schools, house construction and renovation, etc. It is recommended that all levels and sectors have a direction to resolve this issue to help people stabilize their lives.

It is known that for nearly 10 years, since the thermal power project planning, people living in the planning area have not been able to separate the land cover, have not been able to change the purpose of using garden land to residential land, and have had difficulty separating households. From the beginning of 2019 until now, to create conditions for people, Hoang Mai town has "relaxed" allowing people to separate households if they have houses...

Wait until when?

Quynh Lap Thermal Power Center was approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade for site planning in Decision No. 1359/QD-BCT dated March 20, 2009; planning area 283 hectares, scale 2,400 MW. The project is invested in 2 phases: Quynh Lap Thermal Power Plant 1: 2*600 MW and Quynh Lap Power Plant 2: 2*600 MW.

According to Decision No. 1208/QD-TTg dated July 21, 2011 of the Prime Minister on approving the National Power Planning for the period 2011-2020, taking into account the year 2030, Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant will operate in 2022.
The Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant Project with a total registered capital of about 2.2 billion USD and a capacity of 1,200 MW was assigned by the Government to the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (TKV) as the investor and was approved by the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board for detailed planning with a total area of ​​143.54 hectares.

This is an important project in the Electricity Development Strategy of the coal - mineral industry in particular and the National Power Planning in general. It is expected that after completion and operation, Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant will supply the national grid with about 6.6 billion kWh/year, contributing to economic development to adapt to the growth rate forecast to reach a high level from now until 2030 in the North Central region in general, and Nghe An province in particular.

According to the report of Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group, the project feasibility study report has been appraised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and assigned to Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group for approval. The project's Environmental Impact Assessment Report has been approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment; the detailed construction planning document has been approved by the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board.

The resettlement area of ​​the Quynh Lap thermal power project is unfinished, many items of lighting, electricity,... are not completed. Photo: Thu Huyen

Regarding the progress of compensation for site clearance, after the detailed planning was approved, the project management consulting company Vinacomin contracted to carry out the extraction and measurement of cadastral maps and signed the implementation contract... However, due to difficulties in capital sources, the project has not been implemented; Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group is planning to form a joint venture with other investors to submit to the competent authority for consideration for the policy of continuing implementation in the coming time.

Regarding the Quynh Lap 2 Thermal Power Plant Project, on May 4, 2017, the Government issued an official dispatch assigning the investor Posco Energy (a company under the Korean Posco Group) to research and develop the Quynh Lap 2 BOT Thermal Power Plant project. On November 2, 2017, Posco Energy and the Department of Electricity and Renewable Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) organized the signing of a memorandum of cooperation to research and develop the Quynh Lap 2 Thermal Power Plant project. The investor has worked with consulting units to conduct topographic and geological surveys and is currently submitting a pre-feasibility study report to the competent authority for approval, but it is not yet known when the project will be implemented.

Tan Minh village chief shares the difficulties of villagers. Photo: Thu Huyen

Regarding the people's opinions on this slow-progressing project, according to Mr. Nguyen Xuan Duc - Deputy Director of the Department of Planning and Investment, the investment in the construction of large-capacity thermal power plants (such as Quynh Lap 1 and Quynh Lap 2) requires many documents and procedures and takes a lot of time to invest in construction and put the project into operation in accordance with the National Power Development Plan approved by the Prime Minister. Currently, the Management Board of the Southeast Economic Zone and the People's Committee of Hoang Mai town are coordinating with relevant units and localities to guide people in the area to have plans to upgrade, repair houses and build other social works reasonably and effectively to ensure their current lives in the conditions of not being able to relocate and resettle.

Because the thermal power project committed to investing in Nghe An has not been invested in, constructed and put into operation as planned, it has greatly affected the budget revenue target according to the Resolution of the 18th Provincial Party Congress.

Recently, the Southeast Economic Zone Management Board has requested the Provincial People's Committee to request the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group to report to the Prime Minister on developing a project implementation plan to ensure requirements on feasibility, progress, efficiency, and arranging investment methods with appropriate partners to continue implementation, with a firm commitment on specific implementation progress, and no time delays.

After being approved by the Prime Minister, the group is requested to accelerate the progress of the investment project, allocate enough funds to organize site clearance. Nghe An province will accelerate the site clearance progress for the project, hand over the project site to the construction unit within 24 months...

Voters request information on construction progress of Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant

(Baonghean.vn)- Voters of Hoang Mai town requested the Provincial People's Committee to provide information on the construction progress of Quynh Lap 1 Thermal Power Plant so that people can feel secure in investing in production, developing the economy, and stabilizing their lives.