VietNamNet Bridge - Five thermal power projects have been developed in Binh Thuan province, raising serious concerns about pollution, as the plants are located near marine protected area (MPA).

Binh Thuan has emerged as a province which attracts many industrial projects, especially thermal power ones. The Vinh Tan Power Center runs five thermal power plants, including Vinh Tan 1, 2, 3, 4 and expanded Vinh Tan 4. Of these, Vinh Tan 2 has opened, while the others are under construction, capitalized at billions of dollars.

Vinh Tan 2, Vinh Tan 4 and expanded Vinh Tan 4 are listed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) as polluting projects, or projects with violations of environmental laws.

Vinh Tan 2, during its operation, produced dust and ash, upsetting locals’ lives and raising strong opposition from the public.

As for Vinh Tan 1, the Chinese investor is now seeking permission to dump 1.5 cubic meters of waste into the sea, near Hon Cau, one of Vietnam’s 16 MPAs.

Five thermal power projects have been developed in Binh Thuan province, raising serious concerns about pollution, as the plants are located near marine protected area

Nguyen Huu Huan from the Oceanography Institute, has warned that the move, if implemented, will kill the benthos, emphasizing that these are ‘sensitive’ territorial waters which house many valuable aquatic creatures.

Thermal power or the sea?

After the Vinh Tan Power Center was set up, many works, including specialized ports, were built to serve power projects. They have ‘gobbled up’ the sea area of the Hon Cau MPA.

The Binh Thuan People’s Committee, in a document to the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD) last September admitted that the projects run by the Vinh Tan Power Center would encroach on Hon Cau MPA by 1,000 hectares. 

Therefore, the provincial authorities proposed that MARD narrow the MPA by 1,000 hectares to make room for thermal power projects.

MARD has rejected the proposal, saying that Hon Cau contains tropical marine ecosystems with high biodiversity. This is the habitat and breeding ground for many species of rare aquatic species with high economic value and ecological importance.

MARD also said that the shrinking size of the Hon Cau area would seriously affect the coral population, 2 kilometers in length, with nearly 234 types of coral, seagrass and other rare animals and plants.

The ministry has urged Binh Thuan authorities to contact the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment (MONRE) to reconsider the report on possible impact that the power projects would have on the Hon Cau MPA.

MARD has made its choice: the sea and the MPA. The public is now waiting for MONRE and Binh Thuan decisions.

Luong Ba - Bao Han