HÀ NỘI – Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group, or PetroVietnam, has proposed to add the construction of the Nhơn Trạch 3 and 4 thermal power plants to plans for national electricity development.

This was reported by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

According to the proposal, the two power plants, each with the production capacity of 750-800 MW, are designed to be constructed on the total area of some 34ha in the Ông Kèo Industrial Park in Nhơn Trạch District in the southern province of Đồng Nai.

The Nhơn Trạch 3 power plant will occupy nearly 16.6ha, while the second power plant will be spread over an area of 17.4ha (excluding the complex area, surface water and public service buildings).

Following PetroVietnam’s proposal, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has requested the oil group to make a supplementary report on the compatibility of the power plant construction with the development plan of the Ông Kèo IP and with land use zoning and planning of the locality approved by the competent authority.

The ministry also said construction must comply with water resource legislation.

The oil and gas group must prepare an updated report on the current state of water exploitation and use of the Nhơn Trạch Power Centre and calculate the water demand of the power plants and supply capacity of the water resource.

The group is also required to make an additional plan for prevention and control of pollution, degradation and depletion of water resources during construction.

As the project is located at the confluence of Đồng Tranh and Lòng Tàu in the Đồng Nai river system, construction activities must comply with the law on the water resources protection corridor. The two power plants are required to build a centre for collection and sewage treatment.

In addition, PetroVietnam will have to report the current state of the air and water environment in the construction area. If its proposal is approved, the oil group is requested to provide an environmental impact assessment report to the competent authority for approval.

Earlier, the Ministry of Industry and Trade finalised the investment plan for Nhơn Trạch 3 and 4 plants as part of efforts to deal with power shortage after 2020, especially in the southern region.

PetroVietnam’s Nhơn Trạch 2 plant began commercial operation in 2011 with the capacity of 750 MW and productivity of 5.5 billion kWh per year. The 450KW Nhơn Trạch 1 plant, which began operation in 2008, generates 2.5 billion kWh per year. – VNS