Locals in Chau Truc Village, Binh Dinh Province have opposed against a solar plant project as they claim the area they often fish in will be used by the project.

People gather to protest against the solar project on June 28

Dang Thanh Nha, chairman of My Chau Commune People's Committee, said many people have gathered near Tra O Lake to protest against the project since June 28. 

"The project has only been approved, it hasn't been started yet so we haven't held any public meetings," he said.

Chairman of Binh Dinh People's Committee Ho Quoc Dung approved the USD63m project by Vietnam Renewable Energy Company on June 12. 

The plant will cover 60 hectares of water surface and 0.6 hectares of land. It is expected to be completed in the second quarter in 2019 with capacity of 50MWp.

However, many locals in Chau Truc said they hadn't been asked for opinions for such huge project and blocked officials who came to research about electricity lines, asking to meet with the provincial chairman.

"Most of us fish on the lake for a living. It's the main source of income for 500 households so it's a huge problem when the project takes up a large area of the lake. People in Chau Truc and other villages don't want this project," a local said.

Nguyen Van Dung, chairman of Phu My District, confirmed that since June 28, three cars of the survey team had been blocked and that the project hadn't been started.

"I've met with the people and gathered their opinions. Communal authorities said they would hold meetings with the locals when the project was officially started. Both the investors and local authorities will talk with the residents and the construction will start only when they reach a consensus," Dung said.

He went on to say that if the residents requested to meet with the provincial chairman, a meeting could be held. 

The district authorities have asked communal authorities to explain about the process to the residents in Chau Truc.

On July 2, many people still gathered and blocked the survey team's cars from leaving and the meeting with the provincial chairman hasn't been held.

Danviet/Dtinews