Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has seen aboom in renewable energy projects, in a bid to meet the nation’s future demandsfor power, after the Government scrapped plans to build a nuclear power plantin Ninh Thuan province.

Experts have noted that this is a golden opportunityfor the country, which is confronted by environmental issues, to developrenewable energy, given the huge potential of wind and solar power.

In 2015, the Prime Minister approved a renewableenergy development strategy by 2030 with a vision to 2050, which targeted anincrease in the ratio of power generated from renewable energy to 32 percent by2030 and 43 percent by 2050.

The national project for power development in2011-2020 also identified developing renewable energy as a breakthrough toensure the security of the nation’s energy supplies, and reduce the negativeimpact of generating power on the environment.

This could be regarded as a launching pad topromote investment in developing renewable energy in Vietnam, according to VoTan Thanh, Deputy Chairman of the Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry(VCCI).

There were some 50 wind power, and more than 100solar power projects, along with a number of biomass projects being developedin the country.

Hundreds of solar projects have been registered,as of July 2017, allowing them to seek investors, with a total capacity of upto 17,000 MW, according to an estimate by the Energy Programme’s officer underthe US Agency for International Development.

Also, many investors recently announced verylarge investments in renewable energy projects in Vietnam.

Thien Tan Group announced it would invest 2billion USD in building five solar power projects in Ninh Thuan province by2020. The group also seeks to develop some 20 large-scale solar power plants inthe northern provinces by 2020.

In late January, BIM Group began construction ofBIM 1 solar power project in Ninh Thuan province, with a planned annualelectricity output of 50 million kWh, in cooperation with AC Energy, asubsidiary of Philippines’ Ayala Group.

The group planned to develop the largest cleanenergy farm in Vietnam in Ninh Thuan province, with a total capacity of 300 MW,by the first quarter of 2019, with a target of producing 1,000 MW of cleanenergy by 2025.

Besides Ninh Thuan, investors were also keen ondeveloping solar power projects in other provinces, with a potential forgenerating solar power in Phu Yen, Binh Phuoc and Khanh Hoa.

Recently, Asia infornet INC, a member of Japan’sAIN Group, began working with Binh Phuoc province on the feasibility ofdeveloping a solar power project in Becamex Industrial – Urban Zone.

The Phu Yen People’s Committee said that itallowed 17 investors to carry out field surveys and study the possibledevelopment of solar power projects, with a total capacity of 1,310 MW, in theprovince.

Besides solar power, wind energy projects arealso being developed, such as a 98 MW wind power plant by Super Wind Energy CongLy Soc Trang in Soc Trang province, the 373 million kWh Bac Lieu wind powerplant phase three, and phase two of the Dam Nai wind power project in NinhThuan province.-VNA