Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has replanted trees in more than 12,850ha to replace the forests it chopped down to make room for its 18 hydropower plants nationwide.

A view of the Huoi Quang Hydropower Plant in the northern mountainous Lai Chau Province. EVN has replanted trees to compensate for the trees it chopped down for its projects.

The replanting of trees by three hydropower plants in the central region - A Vuong, Song Ba Ha and Buon Tua Srah -- is over, and the process is underway at 14 other hydropower plants.

At the Huoi Quang Hydropower plant alone in the northern mountainous Lai Chau Province, the local authority has agreed that EVN will contribute to the province's forest development fund to get the job done.

Apart from spending thousands of billions of dong for the replanting of forests, the corporation also paid more than VND1 trillion (US$45 million) annually as forest environment service fees.

The corporation paid nearly VND1.15 trillion ($51.7 million) as forest environment service fees in 2013, more than VND1.19 trillion ($53.5 million) in 2014 and VND4.06 trillion ($182 million) since early this year.

According to EVN, hydropower currently provides close to 49 per cent of the country's power supply.