Thanh Nien News
13 August 2014
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has scrapped 12 planned hydropower projects citing low economic benefits and high social and environmental risks, said Dang Huy Cuong, head of the General Department of Energy.
The projects were scheduled to be built in Dien Bien Province in the north, Quang Ngai in the center, and Kon Tum in the central highlands, he said at a recent review of hydropower projects held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and provincial people’s committees.
To date, the government has removed 415 small projects from its hydroelectric development plan.
Cuong said investors in hydropower projects are mainly private firms with a poor understanding of the issues involved. Many hire hastily-established advisory agencies with limited experience, and construction enterprises with poor capacity to implement the projects.
During the construction process, some investors adjust the capacity of the hydroelectric projects or alter their designs without permission from related authorities, he said.
The ministry is now seeking to strengthen oversight on hydroelectric projects, especially small ones, he said.