The US is to provide technical assistance and expertise to assist Vietnam in developing its renewable energy portfolio in a landmark cooperation agreement, according to US Consul General Rena Bitter.
Bitter was speaking at a Vietnam-US workshop on wind energy in Ho Chi Minh City (pictured right) on Thursday.
She noted that several US agencies have committed to the development of renewable energy in Vietnam, resulting in a clean energy project by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and a wind turbine supply contract between General Electric (GE) and Cong Ly Co. Ltd.
GE and Cong Ly signed a contract in late 2013 to supply wind turbines to southern Bac Lieu wind farm project, marking the first cooperation deal of its kind between Vietnam and the US.
The project, at an investment of US$246 million and a design capacity of 99.1MW, has 62 wind turbines. The wind farm has so far generated a total of 16MW.
In another sign of ongoing cooperation, the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) has hosted Vietnamese experts to study renewable energy in the US.
Pham Trong Thuc, head of the New and Renewable Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, has stated that the Vietnam-US cooperation in wind power will help Vietnam increase the share of renewables in the country’s energy mix and ensure national energy security in the future.
The potential for the development of wind energy systems in Vietnam has long been recognised thanks to its long coastline but until now, the uptake has remained modest.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam is aiming to raise its wind power output from 1,000MW by 2020 to 6,200MW by 2030.
