VIETNAM
Vietnamnet.vn-Feb 12
Dr Du Van Toan from the Marine and island Research Institute cited a report of IRENA (International Renewable Energy Agency) in 2017 as saying that the wind power capacity around the world has increased rapidly from nearly zero in 1980 to 60 GW in 2005 and to 500 GW in 2016, or 20 GW a year.
Regarding the wind power production cost, analysts say renewable energy is now the cheapest power source available.
Lazard, the investment company of Bloomberg, in its February 2017 report said wind power cost has dropped by 66 percent since 2009 from $140 per MWh to $47.
Meanwhile, the minimum cost of coal-fired and gas-fired electricity is $63 per MWh on average. The investment in wind power globally has exceeded $100 billion a year.
Under a Prime Ministerial decision, Vietnam will develop wind power, which now accounts for inconsiderable proportion in the total electricity output, to 1 percent by 2020, 2.7 percent by 2030 and 5 percent by 2050.
Vietnam is listed among the countries with biggest potential for wind power. The central coastal areas, including Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Vung Tau, where wind speed is 10 meters per second and wind power density is equal to the world’s highest density (over 1000 W/m2) are ideal areas for wind power development at the height of 100 meters.
By the end of 2017, the total wind power capacity connected with the national grid had reached 197 MW, generated by wind farms in Quang Tri, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan and Bac Lieu.
Of these, the Bac Lieu Wind Farm (first and second phases) with the designed capacity of 99.2 MW and 320 million kwh per annum is the largest. It is expected that in 2018, the installation at the 142 MW Bac Lieu 3, 100 MW Khai Long and Ca Mau 100 MW will be completed.
The other projects will be completed in 2019 and 2020, including Trung Nam – Ninh Thuan (90 MW), Soc Trang (99 MW) and Hanbaran – Ninh Thuan (117 MW).
A series of other projects are on the go, expected to be implemented in 2025-2030. These include nearly 70 projects in the provinces from Tien Giang to Kien Giang with the installation capacity of 7.6 GW, the projects in Binh Thuan offshore area with total capacity of 1.2 GW and some smaller ones on the mainland.
