Long An power station

From SourceWatch
Jump to navigation Jump to search

{{#badges:CoalSwarm|Navbar-Vietnamcoal}}Long An power station was a proposed 1,200-megawatt (MW) coal plant in Long An province, Vietnam. A second phase of 1,600 MW has also been proposed.

In October 2018 the central government conceded to provincial government opposition to using coal as the fuel for the plant. The provincial government is supporting the use of LNG for the proposed plant.[1]

Location

The map below shows the proposed location (top) of the project site, in Phước Vĩnh Đông commune, Cần Giuộc district, Long An province. An alternate location in Cần Đước is shown to the south.

Loading map...

Long An-1

In 2007, ITA-Power Company, a subsidiary of the Tan Tao Group, announced that it was planning to build a 600-MW coal power plant in the Cần Đước district of Long An province, scheduled for completion in 2013. In August, 2007, the Vietnam Infrastructure Limited investment fund announced that it would be responsible for 40% of the $700-800 million required to build the plant, and in October ITA-Power stated that it would be investing $270 million of its own funds in the project.[2][3]

In July 2009, a 218-hectare site for the proposed plant, in Long Hựu Tây commune, was approved by Vietnam Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.[4] For years afterwards, there were no further reports on the project's progress.

In April 2015, the project was revived, now as a two-unit, 1,200-MW coal-fired plant, after the provincial government threw its support behind a new proposal by Daewoo Engineering & Construction, following a visit by Daewoo E&C representatives to the province. Provincial officials stressed that the plant must include environmental controls, however.[5]

In July 2016, following a meeting between Daewoo and provincial officials, both parties said they would be moving forward with the proposal. A different location was chosen for the plant, in Phuoc Vinh Dong Commune, Can Giuoc District. The new site is significantly closer to Ho Chi Minh City — now only about 20 km from the center of the city.[6] The proposal would cost $2.7 billion, with completion scheduled for 2020.[7][8]

In March 2017, in consultations with the Ministry of Industry & Trade, Long An provincial officials again recommended the Phước Vĩnh Đông site — but Ho Chi Minh City officials pushed back against the site, fearing that it would expose the city to pollution.[9]

In May 2017, the Long An provincial government proposed switching the plant from coal to liquefied natural gas (LNG).[10]

After initially refusing to allow Long An Province to block the plants, Vietnam’s powerful Ministry of Energy and other agencies conceded in October 2018 that they “respect” the decision to oppose the plants by provincial authorities. The decision follows the national government agreeing in late 2016 to scrap the proposed 1200 MW Than Bạc Lieu power station after the province stated its opposition to the coal plants and its preference for an LNG fired project. The Long An provincial government is in discussions with companies potentially interested in building a US$5 billion plant run on liquified natural gas at the same site.[1]

Long An-2

According to the Revised Power Development Plan VII, a second phase of 2 x 800 MW will be built in 2026 and 2027. No sponsor has been identified.[11]

Alternate location

Photo courtesy of ilovemountains.org.

In response to concerns about the proposed location of the project in Cần Giuộc district, the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City has supported a new location in Cần Đước, as shown in the map.[12]

Opposition

Prof. Nguyen Dinh Tuan, a professor at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Natural Resources and Environment, argued against the plant's construction in March 2017, arguing that its location — about 20 km from the center of Ho Chi Minh City — would mean that the plant would cause respiratory disease for people living in the city. The Ministry of Industry & Trade was apparently open to the idea of considering alternate locations.[13] Local officials, as well as officials in Ho Chi Minh City, have also expressed concerns.[14][15][16]

Project Details

  • Sponsor: Daewoo Engineering & Construction
  • Parent company:
  • Location: Phước Vĩnh Đông commune, Cần Giuộc district, Long An province, Vietnam
  • Coordinates: 10.5716, 106.73406 (exact)
  • Status: Phase I: Cancelled (switched to gas); Phase II: Cancelled (switched to gas)
  • Gross Capacity: Phase I: 1,200 MW (2 x 600 MW); Phase II: 1,600 MW (2 x 800 MW)
  • Type:
  • Projected in service:
  • Coal Type:
  • Coal Source:
  • Source of financing:

Articles and resources

References

  1. 1.0 1.1 "Southern provinces want environmentally-friendly LNG power, not coal power", Viet Nam News, October 25, 2018.
  2. ITA-Power to Build 600-MW Thermo-Power Plant in Southern Vietnam, Vietnam Business Forum, Oct. 4, 2007.
  3. Vietnam Infrastructure, ITACO to Build Power Plant, Reuters, Aug. 14, 2007.
  4. 2 More Thermo-Power Projects to Be Erected in Bac Giang and Long An, People's Army Newspaper, July 1, 2009.
  5. Daewoo E&C proposes Long An thermal power plant, Vietnam Investment Review, 21 Apr. 2015.
  6. Thống nhất địa điểm xây dựng dự án nhiệt điện Long An I, Nang Luong Vietnam, 30 July 2016.
  7. Hàn Quốc đầu tư nhà máy nhiệt điện than 2,7 tỉ USD tại Long An, EVN Electrical Industry News, 1 Aug. 2017.
  8. Long An làm việc với Tập đoàn Daewoo E&C Hàn Quốc, Bao Long An, 29 July 2016.
  9. Xây nhiệt điện 5 tỷ USD ở Long An, Moi Truong, 17 Mar. 2017.
  10. Đề nghị chuyển nhiệt điện Long An từ than sang khí, Blue VN, 13 May 2017.
  11. DANH MỤC CÁC DỰ ÁN NGUỒN ĐIỆN VÀO VẬN HÀNH GIAI ĐOẠN 2016 - 2030, Ban hành kèm theo Quyết định số 428/QĐ-TTg ngày 18 tháng 3 năm 2016 của Thủ tướng Chính phủ (LIST OF POWER PROJECT IN OPERATION PERIOD 2016 - 2030, Issued together with Decision No. 428 / QD - TTg of March 18, 2016 by the Prime Minister)
  12. "Nhiệt điện Long An: Bộ Công Thương trấn an dư luận?" BBC, 20 March 2017.
  13. Xây nhà máy nhiệt điện ở Long An sẽ ảnh hưởng đến người dân quận 1, 8 và Phú Mỹ Hưng, Bao Moi, 21 Mar. 2017.
  14. Băn khoăn dự án nhiệt điện tỷ đô tại Long An, Cafe F, 4 Apr. 2017.
  15. TP HCM lo ngại nhiệt điện 5 tỷ USD ở Long An gây ô nhiễm, VN Express, 16 Mar. 2017.
  16. Cử tri Long An lo lắng việc xây nhà máy nhiệt điện, Tuoi Tre, 27 Apr. 2017.

Related SourceWatch articles

External resources