Construction on Vietnam's Vung Ang 2 coal plant to begin in December

Korea Electric Power

26/10/2021 06:32

HANOI, Oct 26 (Reuters) - Vietnam will begin construction on
the controversial Vung Ang 2 coal-fired power plant this
December, a company spokesman and local media said on Tuesday,
as the country presses ahead with plans to increase its fossil
fuel power production.
    The investor, Vung Ang II Thermal Power LLC (VAPCO), has
completed necessary procedures for the $2.2-billion project to
go ahead, deputy chief executive officer Hoang Trong Binh told
the Vietnam Finance newspaper.
    The 1,230-megawatt plant in the central province of Ha Tinh
has been a focus of global calls https://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietnam-coal-idUSKBN2761FC
 to phase out fossil fuels to help reduce global greenhouse
emissions. 
    Vung Ang 2, largely owned by Mitsubishi Corp  8058.T  and
Korea Electric Power  015760.KS , is scheduled to start
commercial power generation in the third quarter of 2025, Binh
said.
    South Korea's Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction
 034020.KS  and Samsung C&T  028260.KS  were among the
construction contractors involved in the project, he added.
    A VAPCO spokesman said construction work on the project
would start on December 5. 
    Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh in a statement
on Monday called on its miners and relevant authorities to boost
domestic coal production as the country grows more reliant on
imports.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL1N2RL0H3
    Vietnam may double the amount of coal-fired electric
generation it installs by 2030 under a draft plan submitted to
the prime minister for approval earlier this month.  urn:newsml:reuters.com:*:nL4N2RA3QT

 (Editing by James Pearson)