After 2020, Vietnam might have no further need for new coal-fired thermal power plants but will maintain the national power prices at reasonable levels, Thanh Nien newspaper reported, citing the “Future Clean Power Design for Vietnam” statement released by Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID).

A thermal power plant in the south central province of Binh Thuan

The design was intended to ensure residents’ and workers’ health, reasonable prices and national power security.

Dang Van Thanh, chairman of Thanh Thanh Cong Group (TTC) as a strong advocator for renewable energy, said that clean energy development has been emphasized around the world in recent years. As a developing country, Vietnam has a high demand for electricity, so the shift from fossil fuels to clean energy is being encouraged and expedited by the Government.

TTC is in the process of executing multiple power projects associated with wind and solar power, as well as rooftop solar power, Thanh stated, adding that the group is building six solar power plants to be put into service by June next year.

In addition to the TTC Phong Dien solar power plant in Thua-Thien Hue Province, which began operations on October 5 as the first commercial solar power project in the country, Gia Lai Electricity JSC, a unit of TTC Group, will inaugurate the TTC Krong Pa solar power facility in Gia Lai Province in the fourth quarter this year. The 49-megawatt plant has total investment capital of VND1.406 trillion.

By 2020, TTC will increase its capacity to 1,000 megawatts of renewable energy in sunshine-rich cities and provinces such as Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Tay Ninh and Ben Tre.

The active participation of local and foreign investors in clean power development will make it unnecessary for Vietnam to build any additional coal-fired thermal power plants. Research conducted by GreenID showed that in 2030, the generation of renewable power will soar to 30% of total energy produced, while coal-fueled power will drop to 24.4% from the current 42.6%.

The design reveals benefits from the decline in coal: enhancing energy security due to the reduction in imported coal, stopping the consumption of some 70 million tons of coal per year, preventing the release into the atmosphere of 116 million tons of carbon dioxide per year and limiting air and water pollution.

Besides this, the design will help eliminate some 7,600 early death cases each year by 2030.

The shift to clean energy is necessary, and Vietnam is one of the few countries to be heavily affected by climate change while enjoying abundant renewable energy sources such as solar and wind power, according to Nghiem Vu Khai, vice chairman of the Vietnam Union of Science and Technology Associations.

GreenID Deputy Director Tran Dinh Sinh stated that the country’s electricity depends heavily on coal. As such, the use of renewable power should be enhanced to ensure national energy security.

Nguy Thi Khanh, GreenID Director, said the Government will issue a new Vietnamese power development plan that is expected to raise the amount of electricity generated from renewable power sources. The plan is also aimed at building long-term policies on solar and wind power to encourage enterprises to invest in these energy sources.

SGT