Cam Pha power station

This article is part of the CoalSwarm coverage of Vietnam and coal
Sub-articles:
July 2015 coal ash disaster, Vietnam Coal mining companies and agencies Coal transport and infrastructure in Vietnam The sinking of the Phu Cuong 0148 in Gulf of Tonkin, Vietnam Power companies and agencies Proposed coal plants Existing coal plants Coal Activist Videos: Vietnam
Related articles:
Global use and production of coal International Information on Coal World Bank and coal

The Cẩm Phả power station is a 680-megawatt (MW) coal-fired power station in Vietnam.

Location

The undated satellite photo below shows the plant, which is in Cửa Ông commune, Cẩm Phả district, Quảng Ninh province.

Loading map...

{"type":"HYBRID","minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"types":["ROADMAP","SATELLITE","HYBRID","TERRAIN"],"mappingservice":"googlemaps3","width":"600px","height":"400px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"visitedicon":"","wmsoverlay":false,"zoom":15,"layers":[],"controls":["pan","zoom","type","scale","streetview","rotate"],"zoomstyle":"DEFAULT","typestyle":"DEFAULT","autoinfowindows":false,"resizable":false,"kmlrezoom":false,"poi":true,"cluster":false,"clustergridsize":60,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clusteraveragecenter":true,"clusterminsize":2,"imageoverlays":[],"kml":[],"gkml":[],"searchmarkers":"","fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":false,"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":21.008171999999998,"lon":107.358091,"icon":""}]}

Background

Initially conceptualized as a 260 MW plant, the first phase was upgraded to comprise to a 600MW generating plant comprising two 300MW boilers. The project is owned by the Cẩm Phả Thermal-power Joint-Stock Company, with Vinacomin having a 51% interest. Construction began in 2006, and was completed in Sept. 2011.

The project is designed to use coal dust and slurry coal as fuel, with a news report stating that the first phase would consume approximately 1 million tons of coal per year from Cửa Ông Coal Company. The total cost of the first phase was estimated at US$349 million. The Haerbin Power Project Co. Ltd. from China was awarded a $265 million construction contract for part of the project. Electricity of Vietnam, a government owned electricity utility, has signed a contract to buy the Cẩm Phả plant's output for 25 years.

In November 2016, a major fire caused serious damage to the plant. No injuries were reported.

The Cam Pha power station has consistently struggled to generate profits. Between its commissioning in 2011 and July 2019, the power station accumulated over VND 1 trillion of losses. And in the first quarter of 2021, the power station reported net losses of VND 71 billion.

Description of Expansion and Opposition

In November 2015, it was reported that the company plans to add a third unit of 400 MW. According to the 2016 Revised Power Development Plan VII, the expansion will be 2 x 220 MW.

The November 2016 fire at the existing units may push plans for Phase III back, since Vinacomin must now repair those existing units.

In June 2019 the location for the expansion was listed as to-be-determined in the Ministry Of Industry And Trade's report on the implementation of the revised seventh Power Development Plan (PDP7).

According to GreenID a gas plant has been proposed instead of Cam Pha Phase III. With no progress in more than four years the Cam Pha Phase III coal plant appeared to be cancelled. In November 2020 it was reported that Cam Pha-3 and other coal plants whose construction had not yet begun would be cancelled under Vietnam's upcoming Power Development Plan VIII.

Opposition

Local residents are reportedly not pleased with the prospect of a third phase at Cam Pha, due to the fact that "Mong Duong Ward is always covered in dust and smoke generated by the power plants" and that "Thousands of households in Cam Thinh Ward have lived in bad conditions for many years." According to Nguyen Trong Minh, chair of Cam Pha City People’s Council, the slag dumping ground in Cam Pha is full, causing Vinacomin to begin dumping in Van Don island district. “We breathe the seriously polluted air every day and we are surrounded by mining sites, thermal power plants and cement plants from all sides,” he said. A June 2019 article in Baomoi cited complaints of nearby residents about the constant noise and dust from the plant, and the fact that ash from the plant is contaminating nearby beaches.

Environmental Impact

The power stations ash and slag storage dump is designed with a 3.52 million ton capacity, but in July 2019, the amount of ash and slag waste had already reached 4.64 million tons. Because the ash is piled so high, just a few winds cause nearby schools, hospitals, and residential units in the surrounding area to become covered with dust. Some residents have reflected that their life here is only covered in dust. “When the sun rises, it is dusty, when it rains, it is dirty, the house has just been cleaned and closed with a thick layer. The roof, the garden is an earthy brown color, small and smooth as powder," said one local resident. The company has announced various stopgap solutions, which residents have deemed inadequate, but has not provided a long term fix for the problem.

Project Details

• Sponsor: Vinacomin (Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group)
• Parent company:
• Location: Cửa Ông commune, Cẩm Phả district, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam
• Coordinates: Cam Pha power station: 21.008172, 107.358091 (exact); Cam Pha Phase III: 21.046, 107.357 (exact)
• Status: Phases 1-2: Operating (2011), Phase 3: Cancelled
• Gross Capacity: Phases 1 and 2: 680 MW (2 x 340 MW); Phase 3: 440 MW (2 x 220 MW)
• Type: Circulating fluidized bed (CFB)
• In service: Units 1 and 2: 2011; Units 3 and 4: 2020
• Coal Type: anthracite, culm
• Coal Source: Cửa Ông Coal Company, Vietnam
• Source of financing: China ExIm Bank supplied loans for 85% of the EPC contract value

Articles and resources

Related GEM.wiki articles

• Vietnam and coal
• Vinacomin

External resources

• Vinacomin website