Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung (R) and Senior Vice President and CEO of the AES Corp. Bernerd Da Santos (Source: VNA)Hanoi (VNA) – Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung hashailed the US-based AES Corporation’s recent activities in Vietnam, especiallythe completion and successful operation of the Mong Duong II Thermal Power Plantin the northeastern province of Quang Ninh.
During a reception for Senior Vice President and CEO of the AES Corp. BernerdDa Santos in Hanoi on August 23, Deputy PM Dung spoke highly of the group’s cooperativeproposals in the fields of energy and electricity development.
According to the Deputy PM, Vietnam is a developing country so its demand forelectricity is on the rise, looking to meet the needs of production anddevelopment. As such, it requires huge investment capital and moderntechnologies to meet the requirements of environmental protection anddevelopment, he said.
Dung said in Vietnam’s current power structure, over 40 percent of electricitysources are produced by hydropower plants, with the rest from thermal powerplants. However, hydropower is already being fully exploited and cannot beincreased, so thermal power will have to play a major role in the future, headded.
Coal-fired thermal power plants must use modern technologies, even those whichare environmentally-friendly, and aim to ensure that they do not affect thelives of those living near project areas, the Deputy PM noted.
The Vietnamese government will also work out policies to develop gas-fuelled power and renewable energy sources, such as solarand wind energy, to ensure sufficient electricity for the country’s growth, headded.
While appreciating the AES group's interest in power development projects inVietnam, Deputy PM Dung assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade andrelevant agencies to work closely with the AES Corp. to discuss and agree on specificcontent before submitting them to Vietnam’s authorities for approval.
For his part, Bernerd affirmed that the AES Corp. highly values thesupport and facilitation of the Vietnamese government for his firm in recenttimes, saying that the US government is also creating favourable conditions forenergy projects that the company undertakes in Vietnam.
He also pledged to continue working closely with relevant agencies to improvethe effectiveness of the corporation’s existing projects, as well as expand itsinvestment in energy and new power development projects in Vietnam.–VNA
VNA
