The dream of "electricity" and the restless heart

The emergence of wind power projects once lit up hope for a better life for the people of the Central Highlands. But along with that, it also brought many worries and concerns...

The emergence of wind power projects once raised hopes for a better life for the people of the Central Highlands. But along with that, it also brought many worries and concerns as land and livelihoods gradually changed.

The wind is blowing, the electricity is on…

Having lived in Ea H'leo (Dak Lak province) for nearly 15 years, Ms. Phan Thi Hong Phuong in Dliê Yang commune (Dak Lak) never thought that one day she would see giant wind turbines rotating right in front of her house. Since the Tay Nguyen Wind Farm project was implemented in 2018, the nearly 1 km long dirt road leading to her house has now been paved with wide concrete. Thanks to this road, tourists come to take photos and visit, Ms. Phuong and her husband opened a tea shop, planted flowers in front of the house to welcome guests, life is much more bustling.

Not far away, Mr. Nguyen Trong Mau in Ea Khal commune (old Ea Nam commune) also clearly felt the "new vitality" that wind power brings. From muddy roads, old Ea Nam now has more than 33 km of concrete roads supported by the investor of Ea Nam Wind Power Plant, helping people travel and transport agricultural products conveniently. Coffee, durian, macadamia are in season, increasing in value, and tourists are coming more and more.

According to local authorities, in Ea H'leo commune alone, wind power projects have contributed to the construction of more than 55 km of rural roads, both for construction and for people's lives. Currently, the district is implementing a plan to build an additional 8 km of road surrounding the pine forest along National Highway 14, opening up the direction of developing eco-tourism associated with wind power fields.

Thanks to upgraded infrastructure, majestic natural landscapes and cool climate all year round, Ea H'leo is gradually becoming a new destination for tourists, where the wind not only blows through the blades of the windmills but also brings with it the belief in a land that is truly changing.

Still many concerns

However, the picture of “wind howling, electricity shining” does not exist in most localities where wind power projects have “set foot”. From promises of bringing socio -economic efficiency, many businesses are now stuck in a quagmire and incurring losses. Meanwhile, the locality is facing insecurity, prolonged conflicts over compensation, site clearance and many cases are pending criminal proceedings.

A department-level leader in Dak Nong (now Lam Dong province) once frankly admitted: wind power is a new field, and the locality has not fully anticipated the risks. In the 2021-2022 period, the province implemented 6 projects with a total capacity of 430 MW, but a series of problems arose, from investors arbitrarily raising compensation prices, cutting short procedures, to chasing progress to meet the commercial operation deadline.

According to this person, this haste has caused businesses to “make things difficult for themselves”, when many items have been forced to adjust and relocate due to the inability to complete compensation and site clearance. As a result, a series of wind power projects in the Central Highlands have violated regulations on planning, investment, land and environment.

The dream of “wind power enriching windy lands” is therefore still unfinished, when the blades have not yet turned but are stuck in the strong winds of the mechanism and violations, leaving behind people who have lost their land and livelihood, still waiting for a real wind to blow, bringing with it the opportunity to change their lives, not just promises on paper.

Many construction projects have been built without environmental impact assessments, with turbines built on forestry land or people's land without compensation.

Tuy Anh

Source: https://baolamdong.vn/giac-mo-dien-sang-va-tieng-long-tran-tro-395363.html