Vietnam Looking for New Energy Sources

Vietnam’s increasing energy demand is putting a strong pressure on the country to find out new energy sources for economic development.

 

The Ministry of Industry has forecast that the energy consumption per capita will reach 354-377 kilograms of oil equivalent (kgoe) by 2010, or a threefold increase over 2000. the consumption is estimated to further increase to 668kgoe by 2020.

 

Nguyen Phu Cuong, deputy general director of the Science and Technology Department under the ministry, told a bio-fuel symposium in HCM City last week that “energy demand will double by 2010 if manufacturing grows annually 12 per cent.”

 

In the following decade, Vietnam needs to consume 58,000 kilo tons of oil equivalent, 46 per cent of which is for the manufacturing sector, 35 per cent for transportation and the remainder for other sectors.

 

The ministry is preparing to submit a bio-energy development proposal by 2015 and its vision b 2025 to the Government. Under the proposal, it encourages the country to make use of bio-fuel sources because Vietnam is still now an agricultural-based country with many such sources available.