Page 16 - AsiaElec Week 49 2022

AsiaElec RENEWABLES AsiaElec

Vietnam targets 28 GW of wind

IN a conference held by the Global Wind Energy developing nation, that investment in wind
VIETNAM Council (GWEC) in Hanoi earlier in the week, power can also “create tens of thousands of
host nation Vietnam came under the spotlight as jobs in a new industry”, and “improve the bal-
a country with “some of the best wind resources ance of trade.”
globally”, according to a post-conference state- At the same time, to help the central
ment released by GWEC. government meet environmental targets,
Continuing “The Power Development Plan, wind power investment can also aid in “the
currently in draft form, has targets of 7 GW of country meet(ing) its net-zero commit-
offshore wind and 21 GW of onshore wind by ments and attract international investment.”
2030,” the international trade association for the Recognition of the current socialist-oriented
wind power industry highlighted the potential economy of Vietnam was also apparent in a
for large-scale wind power generation in a coun- recommendation that Hanoi adopt a “phased
try so long in the shadows of bigger markets in approach of rounds of wind farms consisting
East Asia. of differing tariffs and reductions of these into
“The wind industry is ready and able to auctions over time” so that these can eventually
deliver on these targets and help Vietnam “allow offshore wind to be more cost-effective
increase its energy security, improve the balance than most other forms of energy generation”,
of trade, and increase the sustainability of the according to GWEC.
economy and the country’s international com- Vital to the long-term success of any wind
petitiveness,” GWEC added, no doubt mindful infrastructure in Vietnam, however, is the estab-
of increasing numbers of its 1,500-member base lishment of what was termed a “cross-ministerial
already looking to Vietnam as one of the future coordinating committee” during the conference.
stand-outs in the region. Such a committee would help address issues
The two-day conference in the Vietnamese with the potential to involve multiple govern-
capital also highlighted the need for the govern- ment agencies in a bid to address ministerial
ment in Hanoi to work together with domestic level power struggles before they happen.
and foreign businesses to help further wind and Nearby Taiwan, a nation currently develop-
other renewables capacity across the country. ing its own wind power infrastructure with help
For much of the past 30 years, Hanoi has been from several European nations, all under a gov-
heavily reliant on coal power plants, but with ernment reluctant to release full control of sites
coal developers, most notably from Japan, now to developers, was held up as an example of how
starting to limit operations across Vietnam, the Vietnam could move forward.
government of President Nguyen Xuan Phuc has At present it is understood that Vietnam has
started to realise the largely untapped potential just 4 GW of onshore wind capacity operational,
of wind farms. with the same amount again at various stages of
The same GWEC statement went on to say development, albeit not yet generating power.
of this potential, both on and offshore: “Viet- As such, feed-in tariffs (FiTs) being applied to
nam has great wind potential, and in particu- the first 4 GW of capacity that have since expired
lar, offshore wind can contribute significantly have only recently been raised as a topic for dis-
to Vietnam’s future development, provide cussion for the 4 GW of turbines still standing
price predictability,” and crucially for a still idle.™

Chinese renewable energy

firm wins four Kazakh bids

UNIVERSAL Energy, a Chinese renewable Kazakhstan, while one project focuses on the
CHINA energy firm based in Shanghai, has won bids for western part of the country.
four wind power projects in Kazakhstan that will Universal Energy has been carrying out
boast a total capacity of 250 MW, China Daily renewable energy projects since 2015 in Kazakh-
reported. stan, including six renewable energy projects
Three of the four projects envisage the with a total capacity of 380 MW that are already
installation of wind power plants in northern in commercial operation.™

P16 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 49 06•December•2022