Many provinces fail to monitor small hydropower projects Hydropower projects with capacity of less than 50 MW are put under the jurisdiction of provinces for assessment and licensing but the capacity of provincial officials is still weak, said Do Duc Quan, head of the hydroelectricity division of the General Department of Energy. Quan’s comment came after the collapse of the Ia Krel 2 hydropower dam in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai last Wednesday. Checking the quality of small- and medium-sized dams in provinces is the responsibility of provincial departments of construction and industry and trade, Quan told the Daily. However, he noted, the capability of provincial officials in inspecting local hydropower schemes is worrisome. The industry ministry once informed the Prime Minister of the capability of involved officials in quality inspection of provincial works is still weak. Also, Minister of Construction Trinh Dinh Dung said the problem lies in assessment activities of relevant provincial authorities. Dung told reporters that he had asked the State Department for Construction Work Quality Assessment to study the situation and identify the cause of the break of the Ia Krel 2 hydropower dam in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai. Dung admitted the current assessment capacity has posed worrisome problems, given several hydropower dam breakups in recent times. As a State management authority of construction works’ quality, the construction ministry is already aware of this matter and has submitted to the Government a draft decree on management of works’ quality, Dung noted. The assessment of construction works has been entrusted to project owners so far but the ministry in the draft suggests that the job should be done with technical designs conducted by specialized State management agencies. Speaking with the Daily, Le Vinh, director of Gia Lai Province’s Department of Construction, said his department had nothing to do with assessing the quality of the Ia Krel 2 hydropower project and that the project owner hired a consulting company to supervise the work’s quality. Therefore, Vinh insisted his department was only responsible for providing the project owner with instructions on procedures to hire the consulting firm to ensure the work’s quality, meaning the project owner takes responsibility for all incidents. The Ia Krel 2 hydropower dam suddenly crumpled early last Wednesday, discharging all the water in the reservoir and causing flashflood downstream. The Ia Krel 2 hydropower project, developed by Bao Long-Gia Lai Joint-stock Company since 2009, was scheduled for commissioning next quarter with an output of only 5MW. Upon the incident, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has urged Gia Lai Province’s authorities to conduct a thorough investigation, and force the investor to make compensation for the people. This is the third dam breakup over the past few months, following the collapse of the Dakrong 3 dam in Quang Tri and Dak Mek dam in Kon Tum in 2012. Source: SGT