VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) will have to replant around 9,660 hectares of forest to compensate for the areas of forest it has chopped down to make room for its hydropower plants.

EVN to replant forest in hydropower projects. -- File photo

EVN told the Daily about this forest replanting plan as it began forest development at the Son La hydropower plant site last Saturday.

Replanting forests is under way at Song Hinh, Quang Tri, A Vuong, Song Ba Ha and Song Bung 4 hydropower plants, among others.

At the Son La project alone, the total forest area to be replanted is 300 hectares and EVN is planting trees there to offset the area that has been leveled for the hydropower construction. The total forest area to be grown by EVN for constructing hydropower projects as a developer or stakeholder amounts to 9,660 hectares.

Based on its power generation volume, EVN in 2013 had paid nearly VND1.15 trillion in forest environmental service fees, which is estimated to rise to more than VND1.19 trillion this year. According to EVN, hydropower currently contributes close to 49% of the country’s power supply capacity.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reports roughly 51,000 hectares of forest in the country has been cleared to make room for hydropower damming so far.

At a forum on forest planting and wood processing and import-export held by the agriculture ministry in HCMC in March last year, an official from the Vietnam Administration of Forestry noted that an assessment of forest clearance for hydropower development indicates hydropower developers have replanted only 700 hectares compared to the 20,000 hectares of forest felled for hydropower development.

The agriculture ministry in early May last year issued Circular 24/2013/TT-BNNPTNT on forest replanting regulating that those wanting to develop hydropower plants or mine minerals in forests must offset the forests cleared.

Source: SGT