The People's Committee of Cao Bang province has just issued Decision No. 1306/QD-UBND on leasing more than 1.2 million m2 of land (3rd phase) to Song Gam Hydropower Joint Stock Company in Khanh Xuan commune and Co Ba commune (old Bao Lac district) to implement the Bao Lac A Hydropower project.
According to the decision, the leased land area includes: 17,234.1 m2 for main and auxiliary works, 48,357.5 m2 for flood avoidance roads and 1,207,643.2 m2 for lake construction. The land lease term is extended to February 1, 2068, in accordance with the investment policy decision approved in 2018.
Notably, the enterprise is exempted from land rent for the first 3 years to carry out basic construction. The form of land lease is annual payment and not through auction of land use rights.
The project is implemented on the basis of current legal regulations such as the 2024 Land Law, the Decree on land prices and planning approval decisions of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Provincial People's Committee. At the same time, the project has been assessed by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment for environmental impact.
The Provincial People's Committee assigned the Department of Agriculture and Environment to preside over the signing of land lease contracts, handover of land and supervision of the implementation process. Song Gam Hydropower Company is responsible for complying with regulations on land use purposes, ensuring progress and applying environmental protection measures during construction.
According to PV's investigation, the Bao Lac A hydropower plant project was approved for investment by the People's Committee of Cao Bang province under Decision No. 1639/QD-UBND (November 28, 2023) with a total investment capital of VND 1,144.2 billion and a capacity of 30 MW.
The plant is built on the Gam River through Co Ba commune, expected to start construction in the third quarter of 2024, and complete power generation in the second quarter of 2026.
The completed project is expected to produce 115 million kWh/year, contributing about 26 billion VND/year to the State budget.
To serve this project, in addition to leasing other land areas, 18 hectares of natural forest have been converted to serve the construction of this project.
