HCM City (VNA)- Several contentious issues are dogging implementation of key projects managedby the Southern Power Management Board (SPBM), contradictory regulations andland evaluation and compensation rules that residents are not ready to accept.

The board currentlymanages investments in 79 power projects that are designed to meet energydemands of 23 provinces and municipalities in the Southern region in the year2016 and beyond.

Also, the National PowerTransmission Corporation (NPT), under the state-owned Vietnam Electricity(EVN), has assigned SPBM the management of 220kV/550kV projects in the period2016-2020 periods.

Doan Tan Phong, Directorof SPMB, said the most persistent obstacle in the projects’ progress was landclearance and compensation issues, especially the delayed valuation of neededland in HCM Cit🍒y and Southeastern provinces.

Nguyen Hai Dang, Head ofSPBM’s Compensation Office, said land valuation was not easy since the projectsspan a vast area lying in different localities. According toGovernment’s Decree No.44/2014/NĐ-CP, farm land that falls within the powergrid ‘safety corridor’ will not be eligible for compensation. However, Government’sDecree No.47/2014/NĐ-CP provides that in cases where land is not converted toother uses, but its usage will be seriously restricted, the compensation levelwill be decided by the provincial People’s Committee. This discrepancy leadsto the fact that compensation for adjacent localities might vary greatly, andunfairly affected households are outraged. They complain and refuse toco-operate, further delaying the land clearance progress. For the 220kV or 500kVprojects, many households have already received compensation, but refused toremodel their houses to follow power grid safety guidelines or flat outrejected compensation, demanding a bigger sum. The Compensation Officealso acknowledges that the compensation for land areas claimed by the state forpublic or national defence purposes, including socio-economic developmentprojects, is not “close to the market price,” which leads to very unhappyresidents and further delays. “Besides, procedures forenforcement are really complicated, following strict legal provisions, and as aconsequence, delay in land transfer for the projects is inevitable,” Dang said. Other issues plaguingthe clearance progress include the authorities’ simultaneous use of two typesof topographies, unofficial land-use rights transfer between people,overlapping project zones, requiring adjustments to original plans. Until 2018, the Southernregion will depend largely on the power provided by the power centres of DuyenHai and Vinh Tan. If the thermal power stations Vinh Tan 1, Long Phu 1 and SongHau 1, among others, start operating on time, power supply for the Southernregion will be assured, experts say. This year, SPMB targetscompletion of 12 projects with 742.5km of electrical lines and 1,525MVA incombined substation capacity. Phong said the companyhad worked in close collaboration with local authorities to facilitate landclearance process. Problematic cases wouldbe reported to EVN, Ministry of Industry and Commerce, and the Government forsupport and directives, especially in cases involving key projects./.