Mao Khe power station

Mạo Khê power station is a 440-megawatt (MW) coal plant in province, Vietnam.

Location
The undated satellite photo below shows the location of the plant, which is in Bình Khê commune, Đông Triều district, Quảng Ninh province, near the town of Mạo Khê.

Background
The two-unit, 440-MW, $557 million coal-fired Mạo Khê Thermal Power Plant began operating in April 2013. The plant is owned by Vinacomin, and construction began in July 2009. Unit 1 started operating in Oct. 2012, and Unit 2 in Jan. 2013. The plant uses circulating fluidized-bed technology.

Since the plant started operating, residents in nearby Đông Sơn and Xuân Bình hamlets say that their lives have been negatively affected by the plant's operations. Vu Thanh An, the Party secretary of Đông Sơn, said that the plant had begun dumping pollutants into the Cấm River within days of beginning operations. Le Ba Cai, a resident of Đông Sơn who lives only 500m from the plant, said that strong shaking from the plant's operations had cracked the walls of his house. Another resident, Ngo Thi Nhi, said coal dust covered her house every day, and that she heard loud explosions each night.

Project Details

 * Owner: Vinacomin
 * Parent company:
 * Location: Bình Khê commune, Đông Triều district, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam
 * Coordinates: 21.09152, 106.56494 (exact)
 * Status: Operating (4/2013)
 * Gross Capacity: 440 MW
 * Type: Circulating fluidized bed
 * Coal Type: Anthracite
 * Coal Source: Mao Khe, Trang Bach, Khe Chuoi and Hong Thai mines, Vietnam
 * Source of financing: Export-credit agency from BNP Paribas and Bank of China

Related SourceWatch articles

 * Vietnam and coal