Vung Ang 2 thermal power plant likely to have negative environmental impacts: report

Noise and dust from the Vung Ang 2 thermal power plant in Ha Tinh province, central Vietnam are already troubling residents in the vicinity and they want resettlement completed before it becomes operational.

A report released by the Ministry of Natural Resources to gather public feedback mentions that it is likely to have several negative environmental impacts.

The plant is only about 150 meters from the nearest residential area – Hai Phong in Ky Loi commune, Ky Anh township, the report notes.

The plant’s construction period has been rife with environmental problems like dust and other emissions from the process of transporting raw materials, machinery and equipment, the welding and cutting of metal structures, not to mention wastewater and solid waste, the report says.

It also cautions of problems that will arise when the project becomes operational, including dust and emissions from vehicles entering and exiting the plant; coal-fired boiler emissions; malodor from the concentrated waste water treatment plant and the domestic solid waste storage area; domestic and production effluents including oil- coal- and chemical-contaminated wastewater; rainwater runoff; domestic solid waste; and normal production solid waste.

The project, still under construction, is nearly complete. Meanwhile, more than 800 affected households with nearly 2,900 people in Hai Phong 1 and Hai Phong 2 villages need to be relocated. Some households are a mere 100 meters away from the factory's chimney. However, the plant’s relocation plan has not been implemented and authorities have said that it could happen next year and the following years.

Residents in the area are concerned that the plant’s exhaust fumes will cause more serious environmental problems. Therefore, they have proposed that authorities speed up and complete relocation and resettlement work before the plant becomes operational.

Vice Chairman of the Ky Loi commune People's Committee, Chu Van Quang, said that when the project begins operations, additional emissions and dust will be generated in the surrounding area, affecting the landscape; and this can cause conflicts between locals and the plant operators.

The 1,200-megawatt Vung Ang 2 thermal power plant project has a total investment of about $2.4 billion, of which $9.62 million has been allocated for main environmental protection works.

The plant is expected to ease power shortages during the dry season and spur socio-economic development of the Vung Ang Economic Zone in particular and Ha Tinh province in general.

It is expected to begin commercial operation of its first and second turbines in July 2025 and November 2025, respectively, according to Vung Ang 2 Thermal Power LLC (VAPCO), the project investor.

Contractors are mobilizing all resources to complete the project on schedule, the EIA report says.

Vung Ang 1, currently the biggest thermal power plant in central Vietnam with an investment capital of VND33.57 trillion ($1.47 billion), became operational in December 2014.

The plant generated 538.6 million kWh and consumed 243,000 tons of coal in the first two months of this year, earning revenues of VND1,041 billion ($44.01 million).

The Vung Ang Economic Zone is home to more than 500 operating businesses and over 118 licensed projects with over $13.38 billion in registered investment capital. The projects cover a wide range of sectors and industries including steel rolling, seaports, electricity generation, steel, production and distribution of petroleum and industrial gas; hotels, restaurants, shopping centers and offices.