Nghe An proposes to completely handle the backlog of the Ban Ve hydropower project before the district level terminates its operations.

The above opinion was given by the leader of Nghe An Department of Industry and Trade at the recent regular meeting of the Provincial People's Committee in March 2025. The meeting was connected online with the People's Committees of 20 districts, cities and towns.

Ban Ve Hydropower Plant is the largest hydropower project in Nghe An, as well as the North Central region, with a capacity of 320MW, the main dam is located in Ban Ve, Yen Na commune, Tuong Duong district.

In April and May 2010, two units of Ban Ve Hydropower Plant were connected to the national grid, with an average annual electricity output of 1,012 million kWh.

However, since then, there have been many outstanding issues related to this project.Compensation, support, resettlement and damage after storm no. 4(August 2018) of people in the Ban Ve Hydropower Project area and the project-affected area.

Nghe An Provincial People's Committee has established an inter-sectoral working group with the Department of Industry and Trade as the standing agency to work with the Government to make recommendations; inspect, supervise and urge the resolution of existing problems and difficulties.

In Official Dispatch No. 7505/VPCP dated October 14, 2024 on additional resettlement support for the Ban Ve Hydropower Project, Nghe An Province, the Government Office conveyed the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha as follows:

In Report No. 218/BC-BCT dated August 28, 2024 on additional resettlement support for the Ban Ve Hydropower Project, Nghe An province, the Ministry of Industry and Trade identified the unified support tasks and the arrangement of capital for the unified support tasks under the authority of Power Generation Corporation 1 (EVNGENCO1) and Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN); the Ministry of Industry and Trade is fully responsible for these contents.

Pursuant to Report No. 218/BC-BCT dated August 28, 2024 mentioned above and relevant legal provisions, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam Electricity Group, and Nghe An Provincial People's Committee, within their assigned authority, functions and tasks, shall review and handle in accordance with current legal provisions and the opinions of the Government leaders as directed in Notice No. 143/TB-VPCP dated April 13, 2019 of the Government Office; promptly coordinate and implement measures to stabilize people's lives.

On that basis, the investor of the Ban Ve hydropower project, EVNGENCO1, has allocated 51 billion VND to support additional resettlement; of which the expenditure in Tuong Duong district is more than 30.6 billion VND to invest in additional infrastructure items of the resettlement area in Xop Vi cluster, Xop Chao village, Luong Minh commune for 69 additional households (including extra-village roads, intra-village roads, Khe Pong bridge, domestic water system, leveling of residential houses); support investment in building a new resettlement area in Ban Ve to relocate 19 households in Khe O; Khe Chong out of the landslide area (including internal traffic roads, anti-landslide embankments, internal drainage ditches, power supply system).

The expenditure in Thanh Chuong district is more than 20 billion VND to invest in building a new monument to heroic martyrs, a stadium and a rural market in the two resettlement communes of Ngoc Lam and Thanh Son. In particular, Ngoc Lam commune will be allowed to build an additional village cultural house. These are the resettlement communes for people from Tuong Duong localities who had to relocate to build Ban Ve hydropower plant.

According to the Draft Law on Organization of Local Government (amended), which will be submitted to the National Assembly at the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly opening on May 5, agencies and units under district-level governments will cease operations from July 1, 2025.

There is not much time left until then, so at the recent regular meeting, Director of the Department of Industry and Trade Pham Van Hoa requested relevant localities to focus on handling the issue as soon as the capital has been allocated; to avoid difficulties in authority, documents, and implementation when there is no longer a district-level government, but the matter is transferred to new communes.

In addition, the leaders of the Department of Industry and Trade also requested to thoroughly handle issues related to land procedures for people affected by the project.

It is known that in the coming time, the working delegation of the provincial People's Committee leaders will visit related localities to work to grasp the situation to urge and direct the thorough handling of this content.