VietNamNet Bridge – The first thermal power plant project using rice husks in Vietnam is expected to begin in late December, in an area of 9 hectares in the town of Long My, Hau Giang province, with a total investment of approximately $31 million.

The signing ceremony.

The signing ceremony of three contracts to prepare for the construction of this thermal power plant took place on September 25, including the EPC contract, the joint venture agreement between CHE Company (Malaysia) and the Hau Giang Power Plant JSC, the consultancy supervision contract between the Hau Giang Power Plant JSC and the Power Construction Consulting Company 2.

Total capital investment is $31 million, loaned by Eximbank Malaysia and the Bank for Investment and Development of Vietnam (BIDV). This is the first plant in the project to build 20 power plants using rice husks in Vietnam.

Techniques and equipment for the project will be provided by Torftech LTD (UK) and ERK EckRohrkessel GmbH (Germany) through the main contractor – C.H.E Company of Malaysia. The Hau Giang Power Plant JSC also signed a contract on maintenance with CHE Group Sdn Bhd of Malaysia.

According to Mr. Pham Trong Thuc, Head of the Renewable Energy of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the thermal power plant fueled by rice husks in Hau Giang is the first project in a plan to build 20 power plants of the same kind in Vietnam. In particular, the Mekong Delta will have five plants in the provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Dong Thap and Can Tho with a total capacity of 200 MW.

Mr. Nguyen Thanh Nhon, deputy chairman of Hau Giang province, stressed that when this power plant is completed, it will not only provide clean energy for the region, but also play an important role in protecting the environment and combating climate change because the excess amount of rice husks in this area is quite large, threatening the environment and people's lives, and contributes to creating jobs for local people.

This plant will consume 250 tons of rice husks each day. Waste from the plant will be used to produce cement and insulation materials.

As the largest rice producing area in the country, each year the Mekong Delta discharges more than five million tons of rice husks. When it is put into operation, this plant will consume two fifth of the total rice husks in the region.

Representatives of the Hau Giang Power Plant JSC said one year after the launch of the first plant, the company will carry out at least six other projects in the four provinces of An Giang, Kien Giang, Dong Thap and Can Tho. The progress of the next projects is dependent on the source of raw materials in these provinces.

Son Tung