Coal-fired power plants threaten Vietnam deltas

Coal-fired power plants threaten Vietnam deltas

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.

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Ref:
http://www.vir.com.vn/coal-fired-power-plants-threaten-vietnam-deltas.html

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com