Vietnam targets poverty with rural electrification

General NEWS Vietnam targets poverty with rural electrification

East Asia renewables network launched A UK renewable energy and

Research Institute. Workshops

Overseas aid and technology is

access to electricity today. Low

energy efficiency consulting firm

and project related events held in

being introduced to Vietnam in a

voltages and unreliable supply

(IT Power) with a representative

Mongolia, Japan, mainland China

major government programme to

tends to characterise services

office in Beijing has announced

and Hong Kong have identified a

provide electric power to villages

where they are available.

the official launch of the 'East

coalition of key stakeholders

and farms, and so help alleviate

Makeshift installations often fail

Asia Sustainable Energy Planning,

keen to learn from each other

widespread rural poverty. Sweden

to meet local load requirements.

Policy and Regulatory Network.'

and share with each other. A

is one of several advanced coun-

Thus the SIDA-funded initiative

The Network, which has evolved

workshop held in Hong Kong in

tries providing funds and technol-

to connect rural Vietnam to reli-

out of a 15 month Renewable

June 2004 was particularly suc-

ogy, particularly in terms of

able power, with high emphasis

Energy and Energy Efficiency

cessful at bringing together

renewable energy solutions. The

on sustainable technology, is

Partnership (REEEP) funded proj-

stakeholders from the policy-

overall objective is for people in

expected to be a key element in

ect, has been implemented by IT

making, construction, developer,

more remote locations - particu-

alleviating the country's wide-

Power and is supported by the

academic as well as financial sec-

larly where grid connections are

spread poverty. The social impact

Foreign and Commonwealth

tors in order to discuss methods

not feasible - to have access to

of rural electrification in Vietnam

Office Global Opportunities Fund,

of increasing the visibility and

energy services that are reliable,

is being studied in a project joint-

the European Commission

application of renewables in

affordable, appropriate and

ly funded by SIDA and the World

TRECKIN initiative and REEEP. The

Hong Kong and the region. Due

sustainable.

Bank. According to this study's

Network intends to promote

to the noted interest in such

The "Vietnam-Sweden Rural

executive summary, "There is a

greater sharing of sustainable

cross-regional information shar-

Energy Programme 2003-2008"

need to isolate the impact of

energy policy and planning best

ing, a discussion forum has been

is funded by the Swedish

rural electrification on the socioe-

practices within the region and

erected on the REEEP website

International Investment Agency

conomic development of rural

to increase the capacity of the

where interested parties from

(SIDA) and implemented by the

areas." Such rural electrification

key stakeholders to adopt a

both within and outside of the

Vietnamese office of Denmark's

projects, it says, have been tradi-

framework that levels the playing

Network can engage in discus-

Carl Bro consultancy. Vietnam's

tionally assessed by technical

field for Renewable and Energy

sions about various issues relating

socialist government particularly

variables, but fail to assess the

Efficiency Systems (REES). The

to renewable energy in the

wants to establish national eco-

impact of renewable energy on

Network will also facilitate dis-

region. For more information

nomic, commercial and technical

living standards. This time there

semination of information on

visit the REEEP website at

standards for rural electrification.

is an urgent need to assess the

TRECs and other key policy

www.reeep.org, register and

The programme is in two succes-

effect on the people living in the

instruments and raise awareness

click on the 'Sustainable Energy

sive phases: Phase 1: Preparation

671 communes covered by the

of good practice in the region.

Planning, Policy and Regulatory

(one-year) and Phase 2:

project.

The launch of the Network is par-

Network with TRECs in China'

Implementation (three-year). The

Vietnam's total generating capac-

ticularly well timed considering

link under the Projects tab

One-year Phase 1 is on schedule

ity today is estimated to be

the National People's Congress of

option. All interested parties are

for completion by the consultants

8750MW, with 53 percent from

China has recently approved a

encouraged to join the Network

in July 2005.

hydropower, 22 percent from

new renewable energy law which

or contact IT Power's Ms. Buddy

Total expert manpower available

thermal plant, and 25 percent

takes sweeping steps to address

Buruku by e-mail at:

for the programme is around

fuelled by diesel, oil or gas. More

barriers to the increased take-up

[email protected]

70% Vietnamese and 30% inter-

thermal and hydro plants are

of renewable energy in China,

national. Carl Bro Vietnam Ltd

planned. Vietnam has also

promote awareness and provide a

currently fields some 17 full-time

imported about 100MW from

much needed legal framework to

Corrections

employees as well as around 150

China since April 2004, via an

encourage the uptake of alterna-

In the January/February 2005

associate consultants. The project

110kV cross-border link. Imports

tive energies.

issue, the wind turbine describ-

approach is strongly participatory,

from China may be increased by

A number of key activities have

ed in the feature, “Community

with Vietnamese experts playing

up to 300MW from 2006.

been undertaken during the

Power Canadian Style” (p. 28)

key roles. According to the World

Vietnam also exports power to

REEEP funded project which

is of Dutch not Danish origin.

Bank's assessment, over 80 per-

Cambodia and Laos. The Ministry

involved members of the

Elsewhere in this edition, all

cent of Vietnamese households

of Industry is formulating new

Network, including members of

photographs in the “Big Mar-

had access to an electricity supply

Electric Utility legislation that will

Mongolia's Ministry of Energy,

ket, Big Challenges” feature (p.

by 2003, compared to only 51

become the foundation for

Hong Kong's Energy and

42) were supplied courtesy of

percent of households in 1996.

reforms that include deregulation

Environment Bureau, China's

the Fraunhofer Institute. Apol-

Yet some 16 million Vietnamese -

of the country's electric power

Renewable Energy Industry

ogies to all concerned parties

representing around 3.5 million

sector. [Story by: LANNA BLUE

Association (CREIA) and

for the errors in these articles.

households - remain without

BANGKOK]

Guangdong Province's Energy

6 reFOCUS

March/April 2005

www.re-focus.net