Increasing budget revenue for poor provinces
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Luu Duc Hai - Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Environmental Economics Association, hydropower can be classified according to the capacity such as large hydropower plants from 200 MW or more, medium hydropower plants with a capacity of about 30-200 MW and small hydropower plants under 30 MW.
In fact, in the past 20 years, small and new hydropower plants have been built in large numbers in the northern mountainous areas because they are suitable for the terrain, flow and low costs as well as contribute significantly to local budgets.
In Tuyen Quang province, there are currently 14 hydropower projects that have been added to the planning by the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Of which, there are 5 projects in operation with a total capacity of 480 MW, each year paying an average of more than 400 billion VND to the State budget.
Mr. Hoang Duc Tien - Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Tuyen Quang province said that hydropower projects have helped increase the proportion of key economic sectors, contributing to the budget, creating jobs, and developing aquaculture.
Meanwhile, in the poor province of Bac Kan, according to the national power development plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, this locality has 15 hydropower projects with a total capacity of 68 MW.
Currently, 6 projects have been put into operation to generate electricity with a total capacity of 24.6 MW, with an average annual electricity output of about 56-65 million kWh, accounting for about 18-22% of the electricity consumption in Bac Kan province.
Talking to reporters, Mr. Ha Sy Thang - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Kan province said that each year, hydropower plants in the province contribute about 15 billion VND to the budget, creating jobs for 50 workers.
"Currently, a hydropower project and 7 other hydropower projects are being implemented in the area to continue completing investment procedures to start construction with a total capacity of 40.1 MW," Mr. Thang informed.
Consequences
At the end of 2024, dozens of cage fish farming households on the Lo River in Ham Yen District (Tuyen Quang) were devastated by the loss of livelihoods. The reason was that Song Lo 8B Hydropower Plant had a sudden water discharge problem, the water level dropped sharply, causing the cages to fall.
Mr. Lam Van Hoa (Duc Ninh commune, Ham Yen) was almost left empty-handed because all 5 fish cages of his family could not be saved. "The hydropower plant had a problem, did not store water, the fish cages from the edge of the shore fell to the bottom, the fish were stranded and died. This erratic water level is very hard for people," said Mr. Hoa.
According to a survey by PV, on the more than 40 km of the Lo River flowing through Tuyen Quang province, there are 3 hydropower plants (Song Lo 7, 8A and 8B) invested and operated by Lam Son Construction and Trading Joint Stock Company.
Informing reporters, Mr. Ban Van Giap - Deputy Director of Song Lo 8B Hydropower Plant said that due to the damaged floodgates, the plant was forced to open all valve gates and could not store water for power generation.
"The incident caused great damage to the factory, many people raising fish in cages on the river were also affected. It is expected that the repair could take a long time, so we have also notified the people to proactively produce," said Mr. Giap.
In early November 2024, Thac Gieng 1 hydropower plant of Song Da Bac Kan Joint Stock Company in Bac Kan city encountered a problem with the valve-level drainage system, causing water from the uncontrolled discharge area to flow downstream, causing many damages.
A large amount of water poured in, causing flooding, erosion, and sweeping away many items of construction works and machinery under construction to overcome landslides on the Chu and Cau rivers in Cho Moi district, causing damage of more than VND 120 million.
Previously, in early 2021, people downstream of the Cau River reported that the river was exhausted and almost not flowing because the Thac Gieng 1 hydropower plant had water reserves and closed valve gates.
Regarding this incident, in an interview with reporters, Mr. Ha Sy Thang - Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Bac Kan province said that most hydropower plants in the area are implementing the operating process correctly. In particular, there are still some times when Thac Gieng 1 hydropower plant causes a problem of releasing more water than the power generation flow, affecting people's production activities.
"The Department of Industry and Trade has organized a field inspection and advised the Provincial People's Committee to issue a document directing Thac Gieng 1 hydropower plant to strictly implement the reservoir operation and minimum flow maintenance process in accordance with regulations issued by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment," Mr. Thang informed.
