MAE urges thermal power plants to review their emissions

MAE urges thermal power plants to review their emissions

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment asked thermal power plants to review their emissions, strengthen environmental protection, and ensure that the operation of power generation units is not affected during the peak months of the hot, dry season.

The MAE urges thermal power plants to review their emission systems. Image: Song Hau 1 thermal power plant

The Ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAE), on April 28, sent a document to three corporations, namely Petrovietnam, Vietnam Electricity (EVN), and Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (TKV), which are investors and operators of 32 thermal power plants across the country, requesting an urgent review of their emission systems to avoid disrupting electricity supply during the 2026 dry season.

The list of units receiving the document includes many thermal power plants in Quang Ninh, Haiphong, Thai Nguyen, Ha Tinh, Thanh Hoa, the South Central region, and the Southern region, which are important power generation sources in the national power grid.

According to the MAE’s direction, the units must conduct a comprehensive review of the current status of equipment and the operational efficiency of waste treatment facilities. The focus should be on the exhaust gas treatment system to prevent environmental incidents and avoid exceeding technical emissions standards.

These plants must ensure the stable operation of the exhaust gas collection and treatment system and the automatic, continuous monitoring of exhaust gas. Maintenance, servicing, and replacement of materials and equipment should be carried out periodically, prioritising completion before the dry season or during periods of low load.

Based on the overall inspection, the units must promptly rectify any damage and develop proactive maintenance plans. Technical and operational management solutions must be implemented based on the principle of early prevention, minimising disruptions to the operation of power generation units.

In cases where repairs or equipment upgrades are needed that may affect power generation, the unit must develop a specific plan and coordinate with the power system dispatching unit to arrange a suitable timeframe in accordance with the dry season electricity supply plan.

The MAE also requires businesses and factories to strictly control the quality of input fuels, especially indicators such as sulphur content, ash content, and moisture content in coal. Based on this, factories must forecast the emission concentrations of major pollutants such as SO₂, nitrogen oxides (NOx), and total dust to adjust the fuel blending ratio accordingly, and not accept coal that does not meet technological requirements.

Exhaust gas treatment systems also need to be closely monitored for operational efficiency. Businesses establish internal warning thresholds for pollution parameters to adjust operating modes and reduce the risk of exceeding emission standards.

For high-cost renovation and upgrade projects such as electrostatic precipitators, SO₂ removal systems, and NOx treatment systems, units must develop specific implementation plans to ensure that electricity generation is not affected during the dry season and subsequent years.

The MAE requires that as of December 31, 2031, thermal power plants in operation or those that had completed environmental procedures before July 1, 2025, will continue to apply QCVN 22:2009/BTNMT and local regulations. From 2032, these facilities must meet the new industrial emission standards according to QCVN 19:2024/BTNMT.

The ministry requested that relevant units urgently develop plans for technological transformation and upgrading of waste treatment systems to meet the new requirements.

VIR