Ex-head of Vietnam renewable energy authority arrested for abuse of power
Phuong Hoang Kim, former head of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, was arrested on Thursday on charges of “abusing power while on duty.”
The investigative agency under the Ministry of Public Security has yet to announce details of his wrongdoings, and police are calling on anyone with information to come forward.
Phuong Hoang Kim (right) at his appointment ceremony in 2016, with then Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (left). Photo courtesy of the ministry.
Kim's arrest is related to the abuse of power at the Ministry of Industry and Trade and various localities. In January, the police detained Hoang Quoc Vuong, former Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, for his role in the case, along with at least eight other people.
In December 2023, the Government Inspectorate pointed out violations in solar power development from 2016-2020, which was during Kim’s leadership.
In particular, 168 projects for 14,707 MW were approved without any legal basis. As of end-2020, 8,642 MW of solar power was connected to the national grid, above the National Power Development Plan VII's (PDP VII) approved figure of 850 MW.
Besides, rooftop solar power reached 7,684 MW in the period, or nearly 20 times higher than the approved figure.
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