Singaporean media: Vietnam takes long road towards renewable energy development
A flurry of high-profile decisions this year such as an electricity law update have propped up optimism in Vietnam’s renewables sector, according to an article published on the Singaporean website //www.eco-business.com/ on December 26.
A view of Bac Lieu wind power plant in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu . (Photo: VNA)
Hanoi (VNA) – A flurry of high-profile decisions this year such as an electricity law update have propped up optimism in Vietnam’s renewables sector, according to an article published on the Singaporean website //www.eco-business.com/ on December 26.
The article quoted Mark Hutchinson, director of the Southeast Asia taskforce at industry group Global Wind Energy Council (GWEC), as saying that there is still a lot of work to do, but the sentiment in the industry is much more positive than it was eight months ago, or certainly a year ago.
For his part, Thomas Jakobsen, managing director of Indochina Energy Partners, a Singapore-based renewable power producer and developer, expressed his satisfaction with the progress of promulgating regulations in Vietnam over the past two decades.
Vietnam’s latest electricity law updates concern not just the solar and wind sectors, but also include rules aimed at facilitating the use of fuels such as natural gas and hydrogen. Nuclear power development once again features in the wording.
The updates have been billed as important for energy security, but they also attract questions over whether Vietnam can attend to all the different sectors at once, the article said.
Observers said Vietnam is taking a more deliberate approach with managing its energy sector, after the volatility of the previous years, the article said.
♕ Hutchinson said next year is going to be about finalising regulations and charges of the direct power purchasing agreements (DPPA), working to build all the decrees and circulars under the Electricity Law, and moving projects of the Electricity of Vietnam, and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group forward. So it is going to be less about high-level policy and more about implementation./.
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