Three earthquakes have taken place at the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant area in Quang Nam province since June 8. Of these, two earthquakes occurred just two minutes apart.
The first one occurred at 13.57.59 o’clock (Hanoi time) June 12, measured at 2.7 on the Richter scale.
The second one took place 13.59.22 o’clock, or two minutes later, near the place when the previous earthquake occurred.
Prior to that, a 2.9 Richter earthquake reportedly occurred on June 8, in the area of Bac Tra My District of Quang Nam Province. Local residents reported that they heard big explosions in the hydropower plant area.
Luong Xuan Vien, Chief Secretariat of the Tra Bui Commune People’s Committee in the district, confirmed that he heard at least two explosions which caused a five-second jolt.
The Quang Nam provincial authorities said they still do not feel secure about the Song Tranh 2 hydropower plant as earthquakes repeatedly occur. They have urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Electricity of Vietnam to investigate to fix the problems. Local people have the right to be informed about the real situation and the possible risks to plan their lives and agriculture production.
Commenting about the controversial hydropower project, Dr. Nguyen Truong Tien, Chair of the Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Works, said: “I cannot understand why the investor chose that place for a hydropower plant”.
Dr. Pham Tan Quynh from the Hanoi National University, the expert who made a field trip to Bac Tra My District, agreeing with Tien, said: “It is a wrong decision to build a hydropower plant on the granite platform”.
Dr. Cao Dinh Trieu from the Vietnam Geophysics Society also pointed out that the Song Tranh 2 hydropower dam is located within the influential area of the Tra My second-class fault system Therefore, the earthquakes there will have direct impacts to the reservoir area.
Scientists predicted that earthquakes measured at 5.5-6 on the Richter scale may occur in the reservoir area.
