Hydropower, highway tabled at ongoing NA sixth session

The National Assembly on October 30 listened to a report on the government’s planning, investment, construction and operation of hydropower projects.
The National Assembly on October 30 listened to a report on thegovernment’s planning, investment, construction and operation ofhydropower projects.

According to the report,hydropower projects have made important contributions to ensuring energysecurity, serving the country’s socio-economic development.

Operational hydropower plants, with a total capacity of 14,240.5 MW,provide about 50 billion kWh of electricity each year to the nationalgrid, meeting 37.5 percent of the country’s current total power demand.

The management of the projects’ quality hasbasically been ensured in accordance with the law, the report said,noting that all problems and damages occur in the plants have beenpromptly handled to ensure the projects’ safety and minimise badimpacts.

The verification report by the NA’sCommittee for Science-Technology and Environment hailed the efforts ofthe government as well as ministries, sectors and localities in thefield, while underscoring the principle of eliminating unqualifiedprojects that may affect the environment, threaten the safety of localresidents, or have low efficiency, thus having negative impacts on thelocal socio-economic situation.

The same day, thedeputies also discussed the government’s proposal on the adjustment andsupplementations to the NA’s Resolution No. 38/2004/QH11 dated December3, 2004 on the construction of the Ho Chi Minh Road – a keytransportation project running across the country from north to south,which is expected to help ease traffic congestion for the NationalHighway 1.

Resolution 38 set the goal of completingthe road with two lanes in 2010, and then upgrading the route to meetthe national highway standards in 2020.

However, dueto difficulties in capital and ground clearance, the project has beendelayed, with construction on many sections suspended. In addition, anumber of contents in the project’s design were adjusted in 2012 to bein sync with the master plan on highway road system and transportdevelopment until 2020 with a vision to 2030.

Inthat context, the government has proposed extending the completiondeadline of the entire road from Pac Bo-Dat Mui to 2015, while theroad’s total length would be expanded to 3,183 km, 16 km longer than theinitial design.

Agreeing with the government’sproposal, the Committee for Science-Technology and Environment said itis necessary to revise and supplement the resolution on the constructionof the road, adding a number of solutions to continue its effectiveimplementation.

During the working day, the deputies also debated the draft revised Bidding Law.-VNA

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