Continue to review hydropower planning

On the morning of November 27, National Assembly deputies voted to pass a Resolution on strengthening the management of planning, investment in construction, and operation of hydropower projects with an approval rate of 88.96%. Accordingly, they will continue to review and evaluate hydropower planning and organize an overall assessment of the situation of dams and reservoirs nationwide in the coming year.

Inadequacies in flood discharge at hydroelectric plants cause flooding downstream. (Photo: dantri.com.vn).

Remove 424 projects from planning

The overall review of hydropower planning according to the National Assembly Resolution has been seriously implemented by the Government, removing 424 projects from the planning, temporarily suspending 136 projects, not considering 172 potential locations for inclusion in the planning, and continuing to review and evaluate 158 projects.

The review shows that the management of planning, investment in construction, and operation of hydropower projects still has many limitations.

The quality of planning and investment decisions for the construction of many hydropower projects, especially small and medium-sized projects, has not fully met the objectives and requirements for ensuring safety, protecting the environment, rationally using water resources and overall socio-economic efficiency. The tasks of strategic environmental assessment and environmental impact assessment for planning, projects and small and medium-sized hydropower projects have not been given due attention and are of low quality. At some hydropower projects, the management of construction quality, ensuring safe operation and exploitation, implementing reservoir operation procedures and water regulation have not strictly complied with legal regulations, causing negative impacts.

In addition, the lives of resettled people still face many difficulties. Forests and forest land converted to serve hydroelectric projects have not been strictly managed. In some places, there is a phenomenon of exploiting forests on a larger scale than required, and exploiting natural resources illegally. The area of ​​​​replacement forests at hydroelectric projects is very low; the obligation to pay forest environmental service fees has not been fully implemented according to regulations.

The above limitations are partly the responsibility of the Government's direction. Some ministries, branches, People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, and relevant units have not performed well their assigned functions and tasks in advising, organizing the establishment, appraisal, approval, and implementation of planning; granting construction investment licenses; ensuring quality and safety; operating and exploiting; coordinating, inspecting, and supervising hydropower projects and works. The professional capacity of some agencies, consulting units, and state management agencies in many localities has not met the requirements. The mechanisms and policies for compensation, support, migration, resettlement, and post-resettlement, and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for households resettled by hydropower projects have not been fully promulgated, implemented promptly, synchronously, and uniformly. Some relevant legal documents have not been promulgated in a timely manner, and are unclear in coordination, assignment, and decentralization associated with specific responsibilities. Information and data on natural and social conditions of project areas and hydropower works are still lacking.

Continue to review hydropower planning

The Resolution emphasizes that in the coming time, we will continue to review and evaluate hydropower planning, including projects temporarily suspended, hydropower projects in operation, ensuring the rational use of water resources, protecting biodiversity; resolutely eliminating and stopping ineffective hydropower projects and works, which do not ensure safety, have negative impacts on the flow regime, the environment and people's lives. Improve the quality of planning preparation, appraisal, approval and management. Organize the unified and synchronous implementation of hydropower planning in the overall energy sub-sector planning.

In addition, the National Assembly requested the Government to direct relevant agencies and localities to perform a number of other tasks.

First of all, in 2014, organize a comprehensive assessment of dams and reservoirs nationwide; have plans, solutions and arrange sufficient funds to repair and upgrade dams and reservoirs that are at risk of causing unsafety; strive to complete the promulgation of inter-reservoir operation procedures on the remaining river basins; specify the responsibilities of relevant ministries, branches, localities, organizations and individuals in performing the task of managing and ensuring the safety of dams, reservoirs and downstream areas. Strengthen inspection and handling of violations of dam and reservoir safety. Complete the system of standards and technical regulations for dam and reservoir works, especially regarding earthquake resistance; develop and promulgate standards for a number of new and advanced technologies to apply appropriately to the actual conditions of our country.

Next, ensure adequate land allocation, strictly implement replacement forestation, especially in the upstream forests of hydroelectric projects. Replacement forestation must be completed in 2015 for hydroelectric projects that have been put into operation. Resolutely prevent and strictly handle acts of taking advantage of hydroelectric infrastructure to illegally cut down, destroy forests, and exploit natural resources. Strictly implement legal policies on forest environmental services.

Also in 2014, the policy on compensation, support and resettlement of hydropower projects was reviewed, adjusted and supplemented, and policies on stabilizing the lives and production of people after resettlement were issued. Speeding up the progress of construction and implementation of projects on stabilizing the population and developing the socio-economic conditions of resettlement areas of hydropower projects were also accelerated.

Annually, the Government reports to the National Assembly on the results of the implementation of the Resolution under the supervision of the National Assembly Standing Committee and relevant agencies and National Assembly deputies.

According to NDDT