The National Assembly considers assigning the central budget capital plan for the project of supplying electricity from the national grid to Con Dao district to EVN.

Continuing the working program of the 5th Extraordinary Session, on the morning of January 16, at the National Assembly House, the Government submitted to the National Assembly a Report on "draft Resolution on a number of specific mechanisms and policies to implement national target programs" and a Report on supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan with central budget capital for the period 2021-2025...

National Assembly deputies meeting in the hall on the morning of January 16.

Authorized by the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc presented the Proposal on supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan of the central budget for the period 2021-2025 from the general reserve source corresponding to the increased central budget revenue in 2022 for public investment tasks and projects and supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) from the reserve source of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan.

Minister Ho Duc Phoc said that right from the beginning of the medium-term public investment plan for the period 2021-2025, the Government reported to the National Assembly and the National Assembly resolved to allocate capital for EVN to implement the project of supplying electricity from the national grid to Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province.

However, the completion of project investment procedures is slow because the process of selecting a power supply plan takes a lot of time, requiring measurement, survey, and calculation to choose the most optimal plan.

By June 2023, the Prime Minister approved the project investment policy (after reporting to the 5th Session of the 15th National Assembly), so the entire capital expected to be allocated to EVN was transferred to the reserve of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for the period 2021-2025 according to the provisions of Resolution No. 93/2023/QH15.

In Decision No. 708/QD-TTg dated June 16, 2023 on approving the project investment policy, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade as the agency deciding on project investment, and EVN as the investor.

Investment in the Project with the goal of providing stable and safe electricity to the island's power grid, meeting the socio-economic development tasks of Con Dao district, contributing to ensuring national defense and security and ensuring national sovereignty over sea and islands is necessary.

The basis for selecting the power supply plan for the Project has been calculated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, EVN and the People's Committee of Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, proposing 05 power supply plans for Con Dao district, giving 6 criteria to evaluate each plan. The national grid plan was selected because it met all 6 criteria with the lowest electricity price.

According to the provisions of Article 44 of the State Budget Law, the Prime Minister assigns the next year's budget revenue and expenditure estimates to each ministry, ministerial-level agency, government agency, other central agency, and each province and centrally run city.

According to the provisions of Decree No. 26/2018/ND-CP dated February 28, 2018 of the Government on the Charter of organization and operation of EVN, EVN is the parent company of Vietnam Electricity Group, organized in the form of a single-member limited liability company owned by the State.

With this regulation, EVN is not the unit directly assigned by the Prime Minister to estimate the annual state budget. At the same time, according to the provisions of Article 82 of the Law on Public Investment, the Ministry of Industry and Trade will be the agency organizing the preparation of public investment plans, registering and assigning public investment plans for the Project.

Based on the above regulations, the capital allocated by the Central Government to implement the project of supplying electricity from the national grid to Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is assigned to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for implementation. The Ministry of Industry and Trade assigns its affiliated units to organize bidding according to regulations (with this form, the project uses 100% of the capital from the Central Government).

If the plan is assigned to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the remaining capital compared to the total investment of VND 2,423,996 billion is not available to balance the project. In addition, EVN is not a unit under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, so the Ministry of Industry and Trade cannot allocate and assign capital to EVN.

Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc presented the Proposal on supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan of the central budget for the period 2021-2025...

Therefore, the project will not be implemented immediately in this phase. The project to supply electricity from the national grid to Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province is a special project, using both central government capital and EVN's own capital. To effectively use this capital source, it is necessary to consider and report to the National Assembly to provide a mechanism to assign the central government capital plan of the project to EVN.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is the sector management agency, responsible for conducting inspections, supervisions, and audits to ensure that there is no policy exploitation, group interests, loss, or waste. The handover of assets after the project is completed is carried out in accordance with the law on public asset management and relevant laws.

Examining this content, Chairman of the Finance and Budget Committee Le Quang Manh said that the Government submitted to the National Assembly for consideration and decision on allowing the use of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan with central budget capital for the period 2021-2025 from the general reserve source corresponding to the increased revenue of the State budget in 2022 for public investment tasks and projects and supplementing the medium-term public investment plan for Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) from the reserve source of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan is within the authority prescribed in Clause 6, Article 51 of the Law on Public Investment, Resolutions of the National Assembly, and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

Regarding the allocation of capital to implement the Project of supplying electricity from the national grid to Con Dao district, Ba Ria - Vung Tau province, the majority of opinions in the Finance and Budget Committee agreed to report to the National Assembly to consider assigning the central budget capital plan of the Project to EVN, and at the same time, proposed that the Prime Minister adjust the decision to approve the project investment policy, assigning EVN as the agency to decide on project investment.

The Finance and Budget Committee recommends that the Government review strict compliance with the principles, criteria, conditions, procedures, and priority order of capital allocation as prescribed by the Law on Public Investment, the Law on State Budget, and Resolutions of the National Assembly and the Standing Committee of the National Assembly.

* Previously, Minister of Finance Ho Duc Phoc, authorized by the Prime Minister, presented the Submission on the draft Resolution on a number of specific mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and obstacles, and speed up the implementation of national target programs;

Chairman of the National Assembly's Council for Ethnic Minorities Y Thanh Ha Nie Kdam presented the Report on the examination of the draft Resolution on a number of specific mechanisms and policies to implement national target programs.

In the remaining time on the morning of January 16, the National Assembly discussed in groups: Draft Resolution on a number of specific mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties and obstacles, speed up the implementation of national target programs; Supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan of the central budget for the period 2021-2025 from the general reserve fund corresponding to the increased central budget revenue in 2022 for public investment tasks and projects and supplementing the Medium-term Public Investment Plan for Vietnam Electricity Group from the reserve fund of the Medium-term Public Investment Plan.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/quoc-hoi-xem-xet-giao-ke-hoach-von-ngan-sach-trung-uong-du-an-cap-dien-tu-luoi-dien-quoc-gia-huyen-con-dao-cho-evn-257570.html