The Government Inspectorate has just issued a notice concluding the inspection of Power Plan VII and adjusted Power Plan VII.

Specifically, according to the Government Inspectorate, the adjusted Power Plan VII (2011-2020 period, with a view to 2030) sets a target of installing 850 MW of solar power capacity, however, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has advised and submitted to the Prime Minister for approval to separately supplement 54 projects with a total capacity of 10,521 MW based on the proposal of the Provincial People's Committees from the proposal of investors (23 projects with a total capacity of 5,200 MW scheduled to operate in the 2016-2020 period; 31 projects with a total capacity of 5,321 MW scheduled to operate in the 2021-2025 period).

wind power.jpg
Many problems in supplementing solar power project planning

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Industry and Trade did not establish a national solar power development plan until 2020. Therefore, the Government Inspectorate concluded that the approval of the above 54 projects (total capacity of 10,521 MW) had no legal basis for planning.

The Government Inspectorate also pointed out violations when the Ministry of Industry and Trade approved the addition of solar power projects under 50 MW to the provincial power planning and submitted them to the Prime Minister for approval to add them to the adjusted Power Planning VII without having to prepare an adjusted plan.

“This has no legal basis for planning, is not comprehensive, has no basis for management and control of additional approvals, and is not consistent with the adjusted Power Plan VII. In addition, it does not ensure competition in attracting investment, does not ensure transparency, and risks the emergence of a request-grant mechanism,” the conclusion of the Government Inspectorate stated.

The inspection conclusion also stated that in the period up to 2020, there were 168 solar power projects with a total capacity of 14,707 MW/850 MW approved (17.3 times higher than the target) without legal basis. Notably, 129 projects were put into commercial operation, with a capacity of 8,642 MW, 10 times higher than the approved capacity, even exceeding the planned capacity until 2025 (4,000 MW).

In addition, rooftop solar power has also developed rapidly (total capacity of 7,864 MW), bringing the total solar power capacity to 16,506 MW, 19.42 times higher than the approved capacity in the adjusted Power Plan VII. This has led to an increase in the solar power capacity structure from 1.4% to 23.8%.

In addition to violations in massively supplementing power sources, the inspection conclusion also pointed out "loopholes" in the guidance and consultation on issuing preferential FIT electricity purchase prices; the management and use of land to implement investment in wind and solar power projects...

In the recent announcement of the conclusion of the Government Office, Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade, relevant ministries, branches, agencies and People's Committees of Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Khanh Hoa, Long An, Binh Phuoc, Dak Lak, Dak Nong, and Ba Ria - Vung Tau provinces to implement the recommendations stated in the inspection conclusion.

Implementation results will be sent to the Government Inspectorate in March 2024 for monitoring and general synthesis.

Recently, the Central Inspection Commission identified violations by a series of senior officials related to electricity and petroleum. The Central Inspection Commission found that: The Party Executive Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade violated the principle of democratic centralism and working regulations; lacked responsibility, and loosened leadership and direction, allowing the Ministry of Industry and Trade and many organizations and individuals to seriously violate Party regulations and State laws in advising and issuing mechanisms for developing solar and wind power; and in implementing the adjusted Power Plan VII.

Responsibility for the above violations and shortcomings belongs to the Party Executive Committee of the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the terms 2016-2021, 2021-2026; the Standing Committee of the Party Committee of the Ministry, and the Party Committees of relevant departments and offices.

Solar power cannot be included in Power Plan 8 because it is not known which projects are violating . The Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed that the Prime Minister approve the plan to implement Power Plan VIII, which does not include a list of concentrated solar power projects that already have investors. The reason is that the provinces do not have a firm commitment on the status of violations, investment efficiency...