Vietnam to Face Disastrous Consequences if Allowing Waste Discharge into Sea

Vietnam’s experts have raised concerns about long-term harm to marine creatures and the existence of a marine protected area (MPA) off coast of the central province of Binh Thuan if local authorities allow China-invested thermal power producer to discharge waste into the sea. Pham Ngoc Dang, deputy head of Vietnam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, said that the release of waste of the coal-fired power plant will cause long-term consequences to the sea as the waste normally contain toxic substances of Sulphur, Lead, and Cadmium. The concerns have been raised after state media reported that Vinh Tan 1 Power Co., Ltd – the investor of Vinh Tan 1 coal-fired power plant – proposed Binh Thuan Department of Natural Resources and Environment discharge waste into sea which is about three nautical miles off the coast. Under a report submitted to local authorities, the company expects to release an amount of more than 1.5 million cubic meters of waste, which includes mud dredged from wharf, into the sea. The site chosen for the discharge is close to Hon Cau MPA, one of 16 MPAs in Vietnam which is famous for affluent marine eco-system and 234 kinds of coral. Binh Thuan Department of Natural Resources and Environment said that the discharge will not only affect Hon Cau MPA but also onshore and offshore navigation from Quang Binh to Binh Thuan provinces. The 1,240-megawatt Vinh Tan 1 coal-fired power plant costing $1.75 billion is invested by China Southern Power Grid Co. Ltd. (CSG) (55% stake), China Power International Holdings Ltd (CPIH) (45%), and state-owned Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corp Limited (Vinacomin) (5%). Kick off in July 2015, the project, which is the biggest projects invested by Chinese companies in Vietnam, will be built under the build-operate-transfer (BOT) format and scheduled to put into operation after 48 months. The facility, which will use domestic coal, is designed to generate eight billion kWh of electricity per year. (Vietnamplus.vn Nov 5, Motthegioi.vn Nov 3, Plo.vn Nov 3)