Timar looks for winds of change in Ninh Thuan

This is an initial step towards an $800 million wind power farm in Vietnam. The company will have nine months to study the potential and feasibility of the investment project, according to a Ninh Thuan People’s Committee document sent to Timar Wind Solar Energy.

In May, Timar Wind Solar Energy signed a memorandum of understanding with Ninh Thuan People’s Committee for developing a wind power farm in this province.

A Ninh Thuan People’s Committee source said the Malaysian firm had to file application and feasibility reports before September, 2013. If it misses the deadline, the provincial committee will remove its approval for Timar’s investment project.

Timar is a technology innovation-oriented enterprise which integrates research, manufacture with sale, project and service of wind turbine system. It owns advanced green energy technology, known as Maglev, that has a power generating capacity 20 per cent higher than a traditional turbine, a life span of 50 years and can save more than 50 per cent in operational costs. The investment will represent Timar’s first step into Vietnam energy market, where the supply of energy is far behind the demand.

Southern Ninh Thuan province is said to have huge potential for wind power and has been eyed by many renewable power industry investors. Belgium Enfinity in 2011 gained investment certificate for building a $250 million wind power farm in this province. Previously, Impas Singapore also got the thumb-up for expanding its feasible study areas from 600 hectares to 1,000ha. 

The provincial committee reported it has planned 14 wind power farm projects in Ninh Thuan with total capacity of around 2,000 megawatts. In addition, provincial authorities are also studying wind power potential at other 17 sites in hopes of attracting foreign investors.