Challenges for the target of 7,000MW of offshore wind

17/09/2022
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that offshore wind power development in Vietnam is only in the first stage, so the implementation will face some difficulties.
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Reporting on the results of the 4th Vietnam-US Energy Security Dialogue, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said about the possibility of offshore wind power development in Vietnam.

According to the research, Vietnam is a country with great potential for offshore wind power with about 600GW, of which 260GW is offshore wind power fixed foundation and 338GW offshore wind power floating foundation. By the end of 2021, Vietnam's renewable energy sources accounted for about 27% of the total installed capacity of the whole system.

According to the draft Power Plan VIII, by 2030, Vietnam will have about 23,000MW of wind power, of which 7,000MW of offshore wind power. Vietnam has identified renewable energy sources, especially offshore wind power, as the main energy source for energy transition in order to achieve the goal of being carbon neutral by 2050 as committed at the COP26 Conference.

However, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that offshore wind power development in Vietnam is only in the early stages, so the implementation will face some difficulties related to: Legal framework, Database, Infrastructure infrastructure, Human resources, Investment capital, Requirements for stable power system operation, Environmental and social impact assessment.

In addition, Vietnam presented difficult challenges when operating the power system in the context of high penetration of renewable energy sources: Overloading the power transmission system without upgrading in line with developing renewable power projects in some central and southern regions; renewable energy sources are not stable, depend on the weather, solar power sources can only be used during daytime and sunny, making it difficult to operate and regulate the system.

On the US side, the US Department of Energy wishes to assist Vietnam in solving technical problems in electricity grid operation in order to increase the share of renewable energy in the system. The US Department of Energy proposed a number of potential cooperation issues with Vietnam such as: Specific technology development plan; Investment attraction strategy focused on battery energy storage (BESS) technology; Converting LNG to hydrogen and carbon capture technology, combining BESS with renewable energy.

Development Finance Corporation (DFC) wishes to support Vietnam in realizing its target of 7,000MW of offshore wind power by 2030.

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