Environmental impact assessment template

The Hanoitimes – Vietnam’s environmental ministry is not encouraging development at all costs of small hydropower projects.

The National Assembly has disapproved more than 400 small hydropower projects which fail to meet regulations on preventing flood and water, according to Minister of Natural Resources and Environment (MoNRE) Tran Hong Ha.

Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Tran Hong Ha. Photo: toquoc

Minister Ha told local media on October 24 that the large-scale hydropower plants are well complying with the flood prevention and water regulations for the dry season. Therefore, the MoNRE is not encouraging the development at all costs of small hydropower projects.

The minister stressed that the historic flood in the central region has been caused by climate change. This is a combination of several natural disasters at the same time with the scale unseen for decades.

The ministry has considered that development of small hydropower plants should not be continued. Wherever a small hydropower plant is necessary, its construction should take into consideration environmental issues, life of aquatic animals and sediment maintenance to ensure harmony with the environment.

He hoped that the management tools for environmental impact assessment and environment regulations will gradually restore the environment. “Human beings must live in harmony with and respect nature”, he said.

The draft revised Law on Environmental Protection has also identified projects dumping large amount of waste and causing severe impact on the environment for centralized management. It also removed unnecessary administrative procedures for environmentally-friendly projects that will contribute to socio-economic development.

The draft law was submitted to the National Assembly in mid-2020 and is expected to be approved on November 11.

The Hanoitimes – Lawmakers largely attributed severe floods in the central region recently to poor planning of small-scale hydropower plants.

Vietnam’s lawmakers have urged the government to thoroughly review hydropower planning nationwide for sustainable management following severe flooding and fatal landslides in the central region late last month that are largely believed to stem from poor planning of small-scale hydropower stations.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade needs to make all-encompassing assessment of the investment of small- and medium-size hydroelectric plants in the north, the central region, and Central Highlands, lawmakers said at the National Assembly (NA)’s ongoing month-long plenum.

They demanded the removal of ineffective projects out of the National Power Plan by 2030.

Voices from lawmakers

Lawmaker Nguyen Thi Xuan. Photo: Quochoi

Lawmaker Nguyen Thi Xuan from Dak Lak province pointed out some consequences resulted from the development of these projects, including drought and flooding when the dams store and discharge water, legalized exploitation of timber under the guise of hydropower, transfer of hydroelectric projects to other investors after exploiting mineral resources.

She said the parliament needs to establish task forces to supervise the afforestation while the government has to increase funding the afforestation and add it to the socio-economic development of the mountainous areas and ethnic minorities in 2021-2030.

Lawmaker Phan Thai Binh from Quang Nam province demanded environmental impact assessment (EIA) by the government to ensure the safety of both hydroelectric dams and irrigation dams.

Lawmaker Hoang Duc Thang. Photo: Quochoi

Lawmaker Hoang Duc Thang from Quang Tri province attributed severe floods in the central region largely to the development of hydropower. He said hydropower-related deforestation has caused bare land, soil erosion, flash flood, landslide, and severe disaster.

The disappearance of natural and primeval forests has weakened soil water retention capacity, causing floods, Mr. Thang emphasized.

Meanwhile, lawmaker Leo Thi Lich from Bac Giang province talked about the safety of both hydroelectric and irrigation dams and the need of systematic operations among them.

Lawmaker Tran Thi Dung blamed the government for having no specific policies to remove ineffective projects that cause the disappearance of forests and disrupt the livelihood.

Lawmaker Vu Thi Luu Mai attributed tragic natural disasters to anthropogenic impact on the environment that includes changes to biophysical environments and ecosystems, biodiversity, and natural resources.

Well-known lawmaker Duong Trung Quoc pointed out the lack of long-term impact that small-scale hydro might cause for next generations in decades.

Pledge from government agencies

Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh. Photo: Quochoi

Speaking at the NA’s discussion session on Wednesday [November 4], Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh said the ministry will closely work with localities to tighten control over existing hydroelectric dams and the development of the new ones.

He affirmed that the ministry has added to the national power plan no hydropower projects whose development implies the deforestation of natural forests while removing from the plan 480 hydroelectricity projects and 213 potential locations planned for this kind of projects.

At the parliament, Mr. Anh also highlighted the important role of hydropower in the country’s development, saying that hydropower capacity of 20,000 megawatt (MW) from 429 dams accounts for 37% of the country’s total power capacity.

Ericsson has been recognised as a Leader in 5G network infrastructure

Ericsson’s Leaders quadrant recognition in the February 2021 Gartner Magic Quadrant for 5G Network Infrastructure for Communication Service Providers (CSPs) report recognises the company’s Leader position in both completeness of vision and ability to execute.

Vendors offering 5G solutions for communications service providers were comprehensively and independently assessed and evaluated by Gartner experts on their completeness of vision and ability to execute to provide a market snapshot on 5G infrastructure abilities.

End-to-end 5G network infrastructure vendors were evaluated on how they enable IT provider performance to be competitive, efficient, and effective and to positively impact revenue, retention, and reputation within Gartner’s view of the market. The assessment of ability to execute included Ericsson’s products and services, Market Responsiveness and Track Record, Marketing Execution, Customer Experience, and Overall Viability.

Fredrik Jejdling, executive vice president and head of Networks, Ericsson, said: “From research to rollout, we have invested heavily in 5G to ensure we have the best products, skills, and field personnel to meet our customers’ needs. We believe that recognition as a Leader in the Magic Quadrant from Gartner reflects our technology leadership, market competitiveness, determination to innovate, and commitment to our customers.”

Gartner Magic Quadrant for 5G network infrastructure for communications service providers

Ericsson, as an industry leader in 5G networks, currently has more than 130 commercial 5G agreements with unique CSPs and powers 79 live 5G networks across the globe.

Ericsson continuously evolves its end-to-end 5G offerings, which include Ericsson Radio System, 5G Core, Orchestration and 5G Transport, as well as professional services. The company has introduced innovative software solutions such as Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, 5G carrier aggregation, and Uplink Booster, which significantly improve coverage, user throughput, and spectral efficiency.

These solutions support service providers in deploying and evolving 5G to ensure the best end-user experience. In addition, Ericsson Radio System products delivered since 2015 can support 5G New Radio (NR) capability through remote software installation.

Ericsson Digital Services offers a dual-mode 5G Core solution for smarter networks to drive smarter business, allowing communications service providers to offer a multitude of new business opportunities for mobile users and industries.

Ericsson’s 5G Core solution combines an Evolved Packet Core and 5G Core network functions into a common cloud-native platform that supports 5G NR Standalone and Non-standalone, plus 4G, 3G, and 2G.

Ericsson enables communications service providers to capture the full value of connectivity. The company’s portfolio spans Networks, Digital Services, Managed Services, and Emerging Business. It is designed to help the customers go digital, increase efficiency, and find new revenue streams. Ericsson’s innovation investments have delivered the benefits of mobility and mobile broadband to billions of people around the world. Ericsson stock is listed on Nasdaq Stockholm and on Nasdaq New York.