Coal-fired power plants threaten
Vietnam deltas
A coal-fired power plant in Tra Vinh Province. Tuoi Tre
Vietnam’s plan to take its
total number of coal-fired power plants to 31 by 2020 has raised
environmental concerns.
To
minimize costs and the loss of electrical power during transmission, thermal
power plants in Vietnam are usually built near large economic centers of the
country’s Red River Delta and Mekong Delta regions, where electricity usage
is at its highest.
Environmental
hazards caused by these types of power plants came to the fore in April 2015,
when coal ashes from Vinh Tan 2 Thermal Power Station in Binh Thuan Province
spread to nearby residential areas due to low levels of air humidity.
Vietnam
currently has 19 coal-fired power plants, with plans to raise this number to
31 by the year 2020, and to 51 by 2030.
In
the Red River Delta region in northern Vietnam, a handful of coal-fired power
stations are already operating, such as Quang Ninh 1 Thermal Power Station,
which is ten kilometers from Ha Long City and Uong Bi Thermal Power Station
in Uong Bi City, both in Quang Ninh Province.
The
Mekong Delta region in southern Vietnam is expected to house 14 more
coal-fired power plants by 2030, scattered across the provinces of Tra Vinh,
Tien Giang, Long An, Hau Giang, Soc Trang, and Bac Lieu, as well as Can Tho
City.
This
translates to one new plant in the region each year to achieve the goal.
A
coal-fired power plant in Tra Vinh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre
On the basin
of the 40-kilometer long Soai Rap River that embraces Can Gio District in Ho
Chi Minh City, four thermal power plants are already operational.
Long
An 1 and Long An 2 Thermal Power Plants will also be erected in Vinh Thanh
Hamlet in Long An, which borders Ho Chi Minh City to the south.
On
September 20, Bac Lieu Province’s administration filed an official request to
the central government asking for the withdrawal of a 1,200MW thermal power
plant project in the province for fear that the environmental impacts of the
plant would damage the region's aquaculture sector.
The
request was later approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.
Tien
Giang Province’s Department of Industry and Trade recently sent a letter to
the provincial People’s Committee requesting that the province reject all
investment proposals for fossil fuel power stations.
The
Chief of Office of the Long An People’s Committee also said that the province
would not risk environmental pollution to attract investment.
According
to calculations by Vietnam’s Sustainable Energy Alliance (VSEA), if all 14
planned coal-fired power plants in the Mekong Delta come into operation, an
estimated 70 million cubic meters of hot water of 40 degrees Celsius will be
dumped into the river each day.
The
hot water will result in the destruction of the aquatic ecosystem, which in
turn will affect the livelihoods of millions of people that live on river
basins and at the seaside.
VSEA
cited a Harvard University study conducted in 2015, which found that around
4,300 Vietnamese die prematurely every year based on illnesses related to
coal-fired power plants.
Another
study published by Vietnam-based non-profit organization GreenID found a
correlation between emission and wastes from coal-fired power plants and the
reduced quality of agricultural produce in nearby areas.
At
a construction cost of around US$1.2 billion each, coal-fired power plants
are a relatively affordable option for Vietnamese provinces to boost their
gross domestic product (GDP) and income, according to Dr. Dao Trong Tu,
director at the Center for Sustainable Management of Water Resources and
Climate Change Adaptation.
However,
Tu suggested that such power plants be moved far away from residential areas
so as to minimize health risks for local residents.
A coal-fired power plant in Tra
Vinh Province. Photo: Tuoi Tre
TUOI TRE
NEWS
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Thứ Ba, 4 tháng 10, 2016
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