Thai Hoa Waste Treatment Plant Construction Completed, Now Held Still Due to… Lack of Electricity

The waste disposal site is overloaded.

On April 24th, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Thai Hoa Ward People's Committee, stated that authorities are still working to extinguish the smoldering fires at the 2-hectare landfill in the area. "Although the weather has been favorable with rain over the past two days, completely extinguishing the fires is very difficult," Mr. Tuan said, adding that eight excavators are currently still working on the operation.Working urgently at the landfill., with the support of 8 fire trucks.

"For every excavator, there's a fire truck providing support. The excavators' job is to dig up each pile of garbage, and then the fire trucks spray water on it. The fire was extinguished several days ago, but it's still smoldering underneath, so we have to control it thoroughly to prevent it from reigniting," Mr. Tuan added.

The landfill, which has been burning for over 10 days, covers an area of ​​approximately 2 hectares and is located in Thai Hoa ward, bordering Tay Hieu ward and Dong Hieu commune. This is the only waste collection site for the wards and communes of the former Thai Hoa town. For many years, waste has been largely untreated here, simply piled up, emitting foul odors and causing leakage that affects the surrounding residents. Meanwhile, the waste treatment plant located right next to it, after being started, has been left idle.

According to our investigation, to definitively resolve the environmental consequences of this landfill, in early November 2017, the Provincial People's Committee approved the investment plan for the construction of the Thai Hoa waste treatment plant. The project was implemented on an area of ​​7.5 hectares with a total investment of over 146 billion VND and assigned to Vietnam Energy and Environment Joint Stock Company as the investor. One year later, in December 2018, the detailed construction plan for the plant was approved.

The project includes items such as: a two-story administrative building, a canteen, a parking garage, and staff rest areas. This cluster of buildings is located in the southeast of the project, with a distance and green space to separate it from other functional buildings. The southwest side is used for the construction of auxiliary facilities such as: gates, a weighing station, a drying yard, and public restrooms.

The waste treatment area includes: a waste treatment plant, a wastewater treatment plant for production, a solidification plant, and a brick manufacturing facility located in the east. The central eastern section is used for a surface water collection pond, a production water reservoir, and a domestic water supply station. Additionally, there is a green buffer zone protecting the environment of the waste treatment area, comprising landscape trees, buffer zones, and trees along the roads. This aims to create a vegetation cover to reduce noise and air pollution in the treatment areas, the factory area, and the surrounding environment.

Initially, this plant was scheduled to begin construction in the first quarter of 2018 and become operational by the end of 2019. However, due to some legal procedural obstacles, the Thai Hoa waste treatment plant project only officially commenced construction on August 14, 2025. On the day of the groundbreaking ceremony, the investor's representative stated that when operational, the plant will be able to process nearly 100 tons of household, industrial, and medical waste per day. The components of the waste, after processing, can be recycled for use in agriculture.

However, shortly after the grand groundbreaking ceremony, the investor only managed to construct a few minor components, and the project has been stalled ever since. The reason is simply the lack of electricity connection. According to the investor's representative, because this is an investment-attracting project, it is entitled to certain incentives, including the connection of the electricity system to the project's boundary.

"However, the waste treatment plant is located in the forest, currently about 2 km from the power line. The investor does not have the funds to connect the power supply themselves in order to continue construction and complete the plant," said a representative of Vietnam Energy and Environment Joint Stock Company, adding that connecting the power supply to the project would cost approximately 2 billion VND.

Regarding this issue, Mr. Nguyen Ngoc Tuan, Vice Chairman of the Thai Hoa Ward People's Committee, said that after receiving the investor's request, the local authorities have submitted a proposal to higher levels for consideration and support for the enterprise in funding the connection of electricity lines so that the project can continue construction and become operational soon.

People are waiting.

While the waste treatment plant project is progressing slowly, the adjacent landfill has been overloaded for many years. This landfill is currently managed by Thai Hoa Urban Environment Company. As the only waste collection point for the communes and wards in the former Thai Hoa town, garbage trucks constantly come and go every day, piling up garbage several meters high. Meanwhile, the leachate treatment system is almost ineffective. "On rainy days, the water is black and seeps down everywhere. On sunny days, the stench is overwhelming, and flies and mosquitoes cause serious problems," said a resident living near the landfill.

The situation escalated on April 13th, when a small fire broke out at the landfill. The fire then smoldered and spread throughout the entire site. Smoke and acrid fumes from the fire covered a large area, severely affecting hundreds of households in the locality.

Upon discovering the fire, residents reported the incident to the local authorities and requested measures to extinguish it. However, the fire smoldered deep beneath layers of garbage, making firefighting difficult.

According to the leaders of Thai Hoa Urban Environment Company, the initial cause may be due to the prolonged hot weather. In addition, the waste was not thoroughly sorted, and contained flammable and explosive materials such as mini gas cylinders, lighters, and especially batteries, leading to the ignition of fires within the landfill.

Although this landfill is located in Thai Hoa ward, the households most severely affected are residents of Dong Hieu commune. The nearest hamlet is only about 500 meters from the landfill.

“Even though my house is 1 km away from the landfill, the acrid smell every night prevents me from sleeping. Especially on the night of April 20th, the fire flared up even more fiercely. Despite the continuous burning, garbage trucks continue to dump newly collected waste every day, making the fire even more serious,” said a resident, adding that the people's wish is for the investor to soon complete the new waste treatment plant to replace the old landfill so that the pollution problem can be completely resolved.