Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has agreed to extend the deadline for the construction of the 1,080-MW Mong Duong 1 power plant, which is funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).Accordingly, the completion date of the coal-fired power facility will be extended to June 2016 instead of in 2015, the government said on its website. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is asked to supervise the investor, the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, South Korean Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co., Ltd. (HDEC) to complete the project in time. Located in the northern province of Quang Ninh, the plant was kicked off in Nov 2011 and designed to produce 6.5 billion kWh of electricity per year. Its total investment reaches VND33.6 trillion ($1.6 billion), local media reported, giving no exact figures from the ADB. Earlier, turbine 1 of the plant is scheduled to start operation in the first quarter of 2015 and turbine 2 in the third quarter of 2015. Mong Duong 1 may consume three million tons of coal per year. (Chinphu.vn Feb 6)
