Strengthening the management of hydropower projects

The Government has just issued the Government's Action Program to implement Resolution No. 62/2013/QH13 dated November 27, 2013 of the National Assembly on strengthening the management of planning, investment in construction, and operation of hydropower projects.

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According to the approved plan, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will coordinate with relevant ministries, branches and localities to continue reviewing hydropower planning, including projects temporarily suspended, to ensure rational use of water resources and environmental and social protection. Resolutely stop investment and construction, remove from planning projects that are assessed to not ensure economic efficiency, have a great impact on the population and have negative impacts on the environment.

In addition, review hydropower projects under construction to ensure quality, safety of projects and meet environmental requirements, ensuring compliance with legal regulations on construction investment.

In 2014 and the following years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development will coordinate with relevant ministries, branches and localities to direct the development of flood prevention plans for downstream areas of hydroelectric reservoirs on large river basins in case of emergency flood discharge and dam failure (first focusing on completing for the Central and Central Highlands regions).

In 2014, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment completed the development and adjustment of the Inter-reservoir Operation Procedures for river basins in both flood and dry seasons. In particular, there should be regulations on community monitoring mechanisms for flood discharge from large irrigation and hydroelectric reservoirs in the basin.

The People's Committees of provinces with hydropower projects must regularly strengthen the management, inspection and supervision of the implementation of legal regulations on investment, construction, operation and exploitation of hydropower projects and works in the area; review hydropower works under construction to ensure quality and safety of works, meet environmental protection requirements and comply with regulations on compensation, support, migration and resettlement.

The Prime Minister requests that, based on the tasks and contents of this Resolution and the assigned functions and tasks, Ministers, Heads of ministerial-level agencies, Heads of Government agencies, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally run cities direct the development of Action Plans of their ministries, branches and localities, send them to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for synthesis, and report to the Prime Minister before March 31, 2014; on that basis, concretize them into tasks in the annual work plan. For tasks that do not have to be implemented according to projects and programs, they need to be organized and implemented immediately to ensure timely and effective implementation of the contents of the Action Program.

According to chinhphu.vn