A multimillion-dollar thermal power plant in Vietnam that received insurance from Japan’s official export credit agency Nippon Export and Investment Insurance (NEXI) has generated one billion kWh of electricity as of mid-February. The good performance has enabled Duyen Hai 3 hydropower plant to soon run at maximum capacity in the months to come to meet the rising demand for power in the southern region in the coming dry season. Do Dien Tai, deputy director of Board of Thermal Power Project Management, said that contractors are speeding up work to obtain the provisional acceptance certificate (PAC) in March 2017. Located in Vietnam’s southern province of Tra Vinh, Duyen Hai 3 plant is designed to generate 7.8 billion kWh annually. Kicked off in Dec 2012 at a cost of VND22.77 trillion ($1.02 billion), the thermal facility uses imported coal for operation. The investor – state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) – is finalizing steps to complete the construction of the 1,245-megawatt plant soon. However, the operation of the plant has troubled locals, the newspaper reported. Nguyen Anh Dung, deputy chairman of Tra Vinh People’s Committee, said that fly ash discharged from the plant has covered a vast area surrounding the facility, affecting people’s health and salt farming. (www.moit.gov.vn [1] Feb 17)
