Thermal power planning in 2030 - The horror of the living environment

Between 2016 and 2030, Vietnam will have 80 * thermal power plants, with a total capacity of 45,895 Mega Watts.

Vung Ang alone will have nine plants, with a total capacity of 4,100 MW.

It is well known that thermo-electricity, particularly the coal-fired thermo-electricity is harmful to the air, water, and land environment of a country. That is why most countries nowadays are reducing the number of thermal power plants and increasing the number of renewable power plants is in their long term plan.

So, what about Vietnam? What do we plan for our own future?

On March 18, 2016, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed the revised national power development planning for the period 2011-2020, considering 2030 (referred to as power plan 7). Accordingly, the country will have 80 more thermal power plants with a total capacity of 45,895 MW from 2016 to 2030, accounting for 48% of the approved 96,062 MW of generating capacity. By 2030, total renewable energy (including small hydro power, solar power, wind power, etc.) is only 25,727 MW, accounting for 27% of total generating capacity. Thus, in the national long-term planning up to 2030, 73% of the nation's energy supply will come from thermal and other non-renewable sources.

Especially, in Vung Ang area, there will be 9 more plants coming into operation starting from 2016 (not including factories that have been operating since 2015 or earlier).

This is a terrible plan for Vietnam's environment, with an average of 5.33 * thermal power plants being built each year.

For you to imagine this scenario, compared with the largest Vung Ang 1 thermal power plant in Vietnam with a capacity of 1,200MW, from 2016 to 2030 we will have more than 38 Vung Ang 1 thermo fired power plant all over the country.

A terrible number with our living environment, and our future!

(*): Factory: Includes individual factories and factories of the same name but invested in several phases.