Vietnam needs over US$128 billion for power investment next 10 years A drone is used to inspect a power transmission system in Vietnam. The country will need an estimated US$128.3 billion for developing the power system in the next decade The Institute of Energy, under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on February 22 continued to collect feedback over the plan from the relevant agencies. According to the plan, during the 10-year period, Vietnam will need to pour some US$12.8 billion on average into the power sector per year. The total investment for the following 15 years from 2031 to 2045 will be some US$192 billion, including some US$140 billion for power sources and US$52 billion for the grid. The draft zoning plan also revealed that Vietnam will continue to import electricity from China, Laos and Cambodia in the next 10 years. The State-run Vietnam Electricity Group is purchasing electricity from China through two 220kV power lines, with 1.5 billion kWh of power being bought annually during the 2016-2020 period. This northern neighboring market can sell up to 3,000 MW of electricity or more to Vietnam from now until 2030. Petrol prices rise under latest adjustment The Ministries of Industry and Trade and Finance revised petrol prices upwards as of 3pm on February 25, marking the first increase since the traditional Lunar New Year (Tet) holiday. The retail price of E5RON92 bio-fuel rose nearly 700 VND to 17,031 VND (0.74 USD) per litre at a maximum, while that of RON 95 increased over 700 VND to 18,084 VND per litre. Diesel 0.05S and kerosene, meanwhile, are now no more than 13,843 VND and 12,610 VND per litre, up by around 800 VND and 700 VND, respectively. According to the two ministries, the prices of petrol and oil in the global market have been rising strongly for 15 days, hence the adjustment. The two review fuel prices every 15 days to ensure domestic prices are in keeping with the global market./. Aquatic product …
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Taiwan bird group blames political flap for ejection from global network
A Taiwan bird protection group said Tuesday it has been kicked out of BirdLife International -- a global conservation partnership -- after refusing to sign a statement saying it would never advocate for the island's independence from China. UN Human Rights Council session in Geneva The incident is the latest illustration of how businesses, charities and other organisations in democratic Taiwan find themselves frozen out of international bodies because of pressure by Beijing. The Taipei-based Chinese Wild Bird Federation (CWBF) said BirdLife International voted last week to remove it, ending a partnership that had been in place since 1996. CWBF said it was informed that its Chinese name -- which contains Taiwan's official title the Republic of China -- "posed a risk" to the UK-based BirdLife. The group, which had previously changed its English name to satisfy BirdLife, said it had been willing to accommodate further amendments, but was told to sign a document "formally committing to not promote or advocate the legitimacy of the Republic of China or the independence of Taiwan from China". CWBF said it had no stance on the matter, but that signing such a document would itself be a political act. "Our removal... seems to be an example of politics getting in the way of good conservation," CWBF said in a statement. China's authoritarian leaders view Taiwan as their territory and Beijing has ramped up pressure since voters brought President Tsai Ing-wen to power in 2016. It has poached seven of its diplomatic allies and kept it locked out of major international bodies such as the World Health Organization. Major hotel chains and airlines have also been punished by Beijing in recent years for listing Taiwan as separate from the mainland on their websites. BirdLife did not respond to requests for comment on the matter. Britain's Telegraph newspaper quoted a BirdLife representative as saying it would be "inappropriate for us …
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Elevated section of Hanoi’s French-funded metro line to be soon completed
The Hanoitimes - Hanoi’s metro line 3 runs 8.5 kilometers on elevated tracks through eight stations and four kilometers underground through four stations. The construction of the elevated section the Nhon – Hanoi Railway Station sky train, also known as Hanoi’s metro line 3, is being accelerated to put it into operation in April 2021, Kinh Te & Do Thi newspaper quoted a leader of the Hanoi Metropolitan Railway Board (MRB) as saying. According to the MRB, the packages for the elevated section are in due progress. Specifically, the CP01 package has been completed 100%, the CP02 package has 71.3% of the volume fulfilled, the CP05 package has reached 58.22%. Workers conduct three shifts per day at the Nhon - Hanoi Railway Station project. Photo: Ngoc Hai Deputy Head of the MRB Le Trung Hieu affirmed that construction progress of the items related to electricity, information supplying and signaling will be ensured and the elevated section will become operational in April 2021. "We will strive to bring the first trains to Vietnam in July to prepare for trial operation," Hieu said. Under the plan, the elevated section of the metro line, which also include an underground section, will be put into operation first. Immediately after Tet holiday, from February 3, construction of the Nhon – Hanoi Railway Station has resumed with three shifts per day, employing 836 people who are regularly present at the project. In November, a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) will start digging the underground section. Construction of this project was started on October 10, 2010. According to the MRB, the project’s first 8.5 km of the elevated tracks is set to be inaugurated in April 2021, then 4 km of the underground section is scheduled for completition in December 2022 and the entire line is expected to become operational by that time. The total cost of the project has been revised up to EUR1.176 billion. Of which, EUR178.7 million comes as ODA provided …
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