Korean contractor takes responsibility for power plant explosion in southern Vietnam

By Anh Minh   March 8, 2017 | 09:12 pm PT
Vietnam's state-owned power provider, EVN said chimney welders caused the explosion that severely injured them both.

South Korea’s Doosan, the primary builder of a thermal power plant in the central province of Binh Thuan, has taken full responsibility for the explosion that injured two workers this week.

A source from Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade said the South Korean company promised to cover any damages caused to the province by the explosion at the Vinh Tan 4 power plant, on Tuesday.

The ministry official claimed the company further promised to quickly replace all damaged equipment to ensure construction stays on schedule and cooperate with government agencies to duly compensate the victims, who were hospitalized with burns.

The official also said the contractor had agreed to a review of on-site procedures to prevent future incidents.

Industrial safety officials have agreed to allow construction to resume on Thursday, even as an investigation into the cause of the incident remains underway.

korean-contractor-takes-responsibility-for-power-plant-explosion-in-southern-vietnam

Image of the incident at the Vinh Tan 4 power plant on Tuesday. Photo by VnExpress

State-owned Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the investor of the 1,200-MW plant, said the explosion occurred after fire erupted in a chimney and took 45 minutes to bring under control. The owner blamed welders working inside the chimney for causing the incident.

EVN and the project’s main contractors, Doosan and Japan’s Mitsubishi Corporation, along with local firms Pacific Ocean Engineering JSC and Power Engineering and Consulting 2 JSC, held a ground-breaking ceremony at the site on the $1.6-billion project in March 2014.

The two 600-MW units are scheduled to begin commercial operation next year.

Vinh Tan 4 is one of four power projects at the Vinh Tan Power Center.

In April 2015, thousands of local people blocked National Highway No 1A for hours to protest the coal dust and cinders emitted from Vinh Tan 2, another power project that went into operation in early 2014.

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