The working session on 17 March was chaired by Mr. Tran Van Minh - Vice Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment.
Many positive changes
According to Mr. Nguyen Duc Hoa - Vice Chairman of Binh Thuan Provincial People's Committee, over the past years, the environmental situation at Vinh Tan hydropower plant is generally stable, the environmental monitoring parameters of wastewater and exhaust gas are within limit. In particular, no coal dust appears in the area of hamlet 7, Vinh Tan commune (the area around Vinh Tan Power Center) as in previous years.
Mr. Tran Van Minh - Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment chairing the meeting on 17 March
The representative of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment noted that thanks to the full implementation of dust protection on coal lines, spraying water at coal warehouses, strictly implementing remote management measures with environmental protection work...; therefore, the environment at Vinh Tan power center has been improved. A good sign is that, presently, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment is no longer receiving feedback from the local people about the environment at Vinh Tan TPP.
Deputy Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee for Science, Technology and Environment - Mr. Tran Van Minh said that the mission highly appreciated that EVN has seriously and drastically implemented the environmental protection requirements of the monitoring team of the National Assembly's Committee for Science, Technology and Environment. Some notable results according to the assessment of the mission include: The Group has completed environmental protection procedures in accordance with the law; deploying and installing a number of electronic boards that publicly display environmental monitoring parameters. The Group also reviewed and implemented the constant environmental monitoring with a number of parameters; investment in environmental protection equipment. At the same time, EVN has boosted the consumption of ash and slag and achieved certain results.
On 16 March, the delegation checking the actual environmental work at Vinh Tan Power Center
EVN needs to direct its units to apply the ISO 14001 environmental quality management system; deploy continuous environmental monitoring with full parameters and continue connecting to State management agencies, etc.
The effort made by EVN
Deputy General Director of EVN Pham Hong Phuong said that EVN has always complied with the environmental protection requirements in accordance with the law. The whole Group has implemented environmental protection in a practical and serious way, associated with sustainable and long-term development.
Specifically, the Group has completed all environmental procedures in accordance with regulations. 100% of EVN's power projects have been in the investment preparation stage formulated/submitted for appraisal and approval by the competent authorities for the EIA report or the environmental protection plan of the project.
Implementing the recommendations of the monitoring team, up to now, 9 out of 14 EVN thermal power plants have been installed and 5/14 plants are installing electronic boards to publicly display the data of automatic monitoring of emission and wastewater for the residential community to monitor and supervise it.
Deputy General Director of EVN Pham Hong Phuong giving a speech
In addition, EVN and its units have implemented various forms of communication in order to promptly and proactively provide accurate information about the power plant. The plants all maintained regular operations to welcome people, representatives of mass organizations, and local authorities to visit power production activities; learn about and monitor environmental protection.
At EVN's thermal power plants, additional installation of automatic and continuous gas and wastewater monitoring equipment/systems are conducted; Investment is made in exhaust treatment systems and their operations are done well in order to ensure Vietnamese standards.
In addition, EVN has also regularly directed and supervised the slag management units to ensure safe operation, control and regular periodic monitoring of the project. At the same time, consumption and use of ash and slag as raw materials for the production of building materials and as leveling materials, etc., have been boosted.
Currently, the ash and slag of EVN coal power plants have all been performed in conformity with the standards and technical regulations guiding on each purpose of using them as suitable construction materials.
Up to now, all the thermal power plants in the Group have signed short-term/long-term contracts for ash and slag consumption with partners to receive and consume ash and slag. As of December 31, 2020, the total volume of generated ash and slag was 8.51 million tons, of which the total volume of ash and slag received and consumed by partners was 7.1 million tons, reaching 83.46% of the generated volume (this rate in 2019 was only 68.85%).
The units also reviewed the process of taking care of trees, implemented replanting and replanting more trees in the factory premises to ensure the percentage of trees in accordance with the regulations and soon promoted the effectiveness of dust protection.