Two solar power plants in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province have been fined VND160 million ($6,700) for operating without official appraisal and acceptance.
The DTD Energy Investment Company Limited and CY Energy Development Company Limited have been fined VND80 million each. Both firms are located in Quang Thanh township, Chau Duc district, and represented by general director Nguyen Thi Hong Diep.
DTD Energy's VND785 billion ($33.1 million) Gia Hoet 1 lake floating solar power plant and CY Energy's VND732 billion Tam Bo lake floating solar power plant both cover 33.6 hectares and has a capacity of 35 MWp each.
Their construction began in November 2019 and was completed in August 2020.
Previously, 23 solar power projects had paid fines for unauthorized operations.
Ba Ria-Vung Tau has a high potential for solar power with an average solar radiation of 1,350-1,450 kWh per square meter per year, according to state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN).
Five solar power projects in the southern province with a total capacity of 294 MWp are already connected to the grid and begun commercial operation, according to local authorities.
In 2016-2020, especially during 2018-2020 when solar power developers raced to attain the government's feed-in-tariff (FiT), as many as 175 solar power projects were approved, with a total capacity 19,126 MWp, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.