EVN is managing and operating 14 coal-fired power plants. On average, these plants consume about 40 million tons of coal annually and generate about 8-10 million tons of ash and slag. In the past years, with many efforts from EVNand thermal power plants, the disposal rate of ash and slag is continually improving year on year. In 2020, despite the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, EVN's ash and slag disposal rate reached more than 83.4% of the generated volume, much higher than that in 2019 (68.85%).
In general, in the northern region, the ash and slag disposal from EVN's thermal power plants is very positive, but the situation in southern provinces is harder.
At the meeting, the leader of EVN's Technical and Operational Department said that although the disposal rate from power plants such as Vinh Tan 2 and Vinh Tan 4 thermal power plants (Binh Thuan province) had improved recently compared to the period 2015-2017, the rate was still low compared to the set requirements, the volume of ash and slag put in storage was still very large. At Duyen Hai Thermal Power Company (Tra Vinh province), the ash and slag disposal rate was about 85% of the generated amount in the first seven months of 2021.
The reason is these plants are located far from consumption markets, causing difficulties in transportation and high costs. At the same time, the habit of using construction materials made from thermo-power ash and slag has not been well received by the local and the southern region people, affecting the demand for products made from ash and slag.
A tanker truck collects fly ash from a thermal power plant silo for consumption
EVN Deputy General Director Nguyen Tai Anh and EVN Deputy General Director Ngo Son Hai emphasized that disposal of ash and slag from Vinh Tan 2 and Vinh Tan 4 thermal power plants is an urgent issue, directly affecting power production. It is not acceptable to have to stop operating the plants due to the problem of ash and slag disposal, or full of storage.
In the long term, to promote ash and slag consumption, it is necessary to create an unburnt construction materials market in the South. Solutions proposed include: holding direct conversations with people, coordinated propaganda on the mass media so that businesses and people understand that coal-fired ash and slag is a resource for building material production industry in Vietnam.