Page 14 - AsiaElec Week 18 2021

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allocated 1.2 GW and 1.41 GW, respectively,
while in 2019 it contracted 350 MW and
500 MW. In 2017 and 2018, total allocated
capacity was 600 MW in each year. Overall,
South Korea‘s authorities should tender 4 GW
of solar this year.
The country reached an installed solar
power capacity of around 15.6 GW as of the
end of December 2020. The newly installed
PV capacity for 2020 was around 4.1 GW.
South Korea currently plans to install 30.8
GW of solar by 2030.
capabilities, Mr Xi said. of Samsung will help Vietnam “improve the
China will stick to “the principle of quality of the economy, develop sustainably,
common but differentiated responsibilities” and avoid the middle-income trap,” the
to “firmly protect our development interests,” trade ministry said in a summary of the TARIFFS
he added, referring to a notion included in meeting posted on Thursday, the day it was
the 2015 Paris climate agreement that put a held. Samsung did not immediately respond Pakistan’s Finance Minister
greater financial burden on the countries most to Nikkei Asia’s request for comment on
responsible for global warming. Monday, a holiday in Vietnam. Shaukat Tarin said that the
If approved, the renewable-energy pilot
would be a direct power purchase agreement demand by the International
(DPPA) allowing Samsung to buy electricity
RENEWABLES from other companies, instead of through the Monetary Fund (IMF) to hike
state power monopoly.
Vietnam says Samsung electricity tariff to release
seeks renewable energy SOL AR more funds could lead

help at key tech hub to further inflation in the

Samsung has asked the Vietnamese South Korea launches 2 GW country.
government for a renewable-energy pilot PV tender
project, while the Southeast Asian country It is unfair to push Pakistan to increase
wants the company to help local businesses The South Korean Energy Agency has its electricity tariff as it will only affect the
join its supply chain, the Nikkei reported. launched the first of the two PV tenders country’s economy negatively, Tarin said
Vietnam’s trade ministry said it hosted a planned for this year. during a meeting of the National Assembly’s
visit last week by Choi Joo Ho, the general In the procurement exercise, the agency sub-committee on finance.
director of Samsung Vietnam, which accounts intends to allocate 2,050 MW – the largest While hinting at reviewing the programme
for half of the smartphones shipped globally amount ever tendered by the Korean with the IMF, the Minister said Pakistan has
by the company. Samsung, which faces authorities to date – across five project assured the lender of reducing circular debt,
pressure to ditch reliance on coal, sought categories: installations of less than 100 kW; but the demand of increasing electricity tariff
government support to buy renewable energy projects ranging in size from 100 to 500 kW; is not understandable, reports Xinhua news
directly from producers. PV arrays with a capacity between 500 kW agency.
Samsung’s operations in the communist and 1 MW; solar plants with an installed If the GDP growth is not increased by at
country include its biggest research center in power of 1 to 20 MW; and, for the first time, least 5%, the country will be facing serious
Southeast Asia, set to debut in 2022, though solar parks exceeding 20 MW in size. crisis in next several years, the Minister said,
Hanoi wants further expansion. Selected projects will be awarded a fixed adding that the growth rate will only improve
In 2020, Vietnamese Prime Minister rate under a 20-year contract under the if the economy is moving swiftly, with special
Nguyen Xuan Phuc asked it to consider country’s renewable energy certificate (REC) focus on agriculture and industries.
making semiconductors in the country, scheme and will sell electricity to local power He said the government has been working
though there is no indication that the world’s distributors. toward broadening the tax net, but could
biggest manufacturer of memory chips is The tender’s final results are expected to not force people to pay more taxes under the
considering such a move. be announced on July 16 and the winning current scenario.
He also suggested Samsung localise its bidders should be awarded a final contract in Pakistan has promised the IMF to
supply chain, a request repeated last week August. increase taxes by 1.272 trillion PKR and raise
by trade officials eyeing a higher spot for There are currently no domestic content electricity tariff by almost 5 PKR per unit,
the country in such global value networks. requirements embedded in the tender but, according to local media.
Samsung Electronics’ list of major suppliers starting from this year, projects relying on
last year included 25 businesses in Vietnam, solar PV modules with a low carbon footprint
though most are foreign companies. are being prioritised.
Moving up the value chain with the likes In the two tenders held in 2020, the KEA

P14 www. NEWSBASE .com Week 18 05•May•2021