"Increasing the efficient use of energy, expanding renewable energy sources and the exchange of power in the Asian region may help Vietnam meet electricity growth demand from 7 to 10 percent per year until 2030", heard at conference "Sustainable power development orientations for Vietnam". The conference was recently co-organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the World Bank in Danang.
Controlling the amount of carbon emission can promote the economic growth in the long term. As energy demand increases, Vietnam needs to promote the efficient energy use and exploitation of various energy sources including coal, natural gas, wind, solar and hydropower to meet the needs and to ensure the reliable and sustainable power supply with reasonable prices. Vietnam should also consider aggressively participating in the power exchange market in the region.
Speaking at the conference, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai said: "Party and State of Vietnam always pays attention to the development of electricity first to meet the needs of the development of socio-economy, security and defence of the country as well as people’s living needs, ensuring national energy security. With interest, along with efforts of the entire electricity sector, Vietnam’s national electric system now has made great progress, and guaranteed to provide enough electricity for the socio-economic development with high quality and reliability."
Since 1990, the proportion of people using electricity has increased from 14 percent to 98 percent. In the past two decades, 10 million households (equivalent to 40 million people) have used electricity, mainly through the rural electrification program in poverty alleviation program in the country. Only few countries in the world can gain such achievement in a short time, not to mention the obstacle terrain in Vietnam.
"Vietnam has well supplied the electricity for people, with almost all of the population have access to electricity. Accessing to electricity has also been accompanied by enhancing operational efficiency and service quality," said Mr Axel van Trotsenburg, Vice President of the World Bank in East Asia and the Pacific said. "The main problem today is how to meet the demand in the future, while at the same time complying with the Government's commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the context of climate change."
Vietnam has a relatively high proportion of renewable energy in the total of power-generating structure, with hydropower accounting for 42 percent of the total electricity generation, higher than that of many countries in the world. The conference stressed that Vietnam could further develop energy sources such as wind and solar energy; however, the regulatory framework needed serious consideration. However, Vietnam also needs to meet needs in the future even when Vietnam well exploits renewable energy potentials. Increasing efficiency in the electricity production, transmission and distribution will also play an important role. Another enormous potential field is the electricity trading market in the region.
At the conference, delegates also discussed solutions to limit carbon emissions and concerned whether Vietnam can continue to achieve the economic growth without increasing carbon emissions. According to the report "Survey low-emission development strategies in Vietnam", it was predicted that the low-emission development will not adversely affect the economic growth of Vietnam, and even in the long run, can boost the growth. The conclusion of the report was based on the basis of growth and clean environments that can simultaneously support each other in future.
Vietnam continued committing to implement competition in the electricity industry and the Government has set out a clear roadmap for the development of the wholesale electricity market competition fully operating by 2021.
According to Ms Anita Marangoly George, Senior Director of the World Bank Group's Global Practice on Energy and Extractive Industries, to ensure financial sustainability in the power sector, Vietnam needs to promote effective competition and ensure significant investment resources from the public and private sectors.
Anh Mai
Vietnamese
