VOV quoted National Energy Institute of VietnamRepresentative Nguyen Anh Tuan as saying that annual 13-15 percentincreases in energy demand require exploring as many supplementaryenergy alternatives as possible.
The country’s aggregate energydemand is predicted to equate to 167 million tonnes of oil by 2030, wellbeyond its production capacity of 50-62 million tonnes of coal and20-22 million tonnes of oil.
Vietnam has only begun exploring thepotential of its promising bio-gas, wind power, solar power, andgeothermal electricity resources.
Centre for Community Researchand Development (CCRD) Director Pham Van Thanh said the Government hasreceived support for renewable energy development from internationalorganisations such as the French Development Agency (AFD), the JapanInternational Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Canadian InternationalCooperation Agency (CIDA), the Australian Agency for InternationalDevelopment (AusAID), and the Republic of Korea’s KeximBank.
SNV Netherlands Development Organisation is supporting the Vietnamese livestock industry’s bio-gas programme.
TheWorld Bank (WB) provided 201.2 million USD in credit to the country’srenewable energy development programme over the 2009-2014 period.
TheGerman Deutsche Bank and the US Eximbank have offered preferentialloans to wind power energy projects in the south-central coastalprovince of BinhThuan and Bac Lieu province in the Mekong Delta.
Incompletestatistics reveal at least nine non-governmental organisations (NGOs)have undertaken projects supporting renewable energy development inVietnam. Five others are running communication and education campaignspromoting renewable energy resources like bio-gas, solar powerproduction, and gasoline-saving technology.
The CCRD financed the construction of 10,000 underground biogas generators throughout the country.
TheGreen Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) is implementingcommunity-based bio-gas energy models with funding from the SwedishInternational Development Agency (SIDA) and the Singapore office ofCaritas Humanitarian Aid & Relief Initiatives (CHARIS).
GreenIDis collaborating with Can Tho University and the GIC Company ondrafting solar power energy models tailored to suitable localities inCan Tho, Thai Binh, HoaBinh, Hung Yen, and Ha Tinh.
Phan ThanhTung, a representative from the German Agency for InternationalCooperation (GIZ), said GIZ is helping Vietnam’s wind power plantprojects. It has already lent its expertise to outlining legislativeframeworks for wind power development, collecting wind speed data, andproviding technical consultancy.
Some Vietnamese households have installed solar energy panels.
Theproject’s second phase will run from March 2012 to March 2015 with afocus on shoring up renewable energy laws and regulations andfine-tuning organisational structures.
The lack of national renewable energy law is a deficiency the Government hopes to address as soon as possible.
Sugarmills are reluctant to pursue bagasse energy production because of thediscrepancy between the expense of installation and the low electricityprices the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) insists upon.
Wind powerenergy plants suffer from similar outlay-benefit imbalances. Setting afair baseline electricity purchasing price is imperative if renewableenergy production is to be encouraged.-VNA