Vietnam Aims to Be Low Carbon Economy By 2020

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Nov. 23 – In an effort to make Vietnam a low carbon economy by 2020, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment announced on Monday that it will be introducing new measures that will further develop renewable energy resources such as solar, wind and biomass power.

New policies will also be implemented stressing the construction of new urban areas with green space and energy efficient buildings, as well as reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the nation’s energy sector.

“Encouraging the use of renewable energy and energy saving, gradually omitting outdated, energy-inefficient technologies in industry, saving energy and increasing energy efficiency in enterprises, buildings and transportation are all part of the measures,” Nguyen The Chinh, deputy director general of the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, said at a dialogue session on Monday.

Vietnam is expected to develop 12,000 megawatts of wind power and 8,000 megawatts of biomass power by 2020, equivalent to a respective 3 percent and 2 percent share of the nation’s total output, says Nguyen Xuan Thang, country manager of GE Energy Vietnam.

Several green technology projects are already underway across the country including a wind farm in southern Ninh Thuan Province, a rice husk power plant in Tien Giang Province in the Mekong Delta region, a biogas plant in northern Ninh Binh Province, and a biomass plant in Soc Trang Province which are forecast to become operational by 2012, 2013, 2014 and 2015, respectively, according to Vietnam News.

Nguyen Trung Thang, a representative from the Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, added that the implementation of greentech growth in Vietnam was essential for creating a low carbon economy. He believes the keys to success in this regard include economic growth with a focus on environmentally-friendly production, changes in nation-wide consumption behavior and trade activities, reducing environmental degradation through policies that prevent pollution, and implementing strategies that help mitigate and adapt to the impacts of climate change.