Enterprize Energy accelerates offshore wind farm in Vietnam

Ian Hatton, chairman and founder of Enterprize Energy

Speaking at the UK’s “Vietnam – Towards a Low Carbon Energy Future” conference in Hanoi on March 12, Enterprize Energy’s chairman and founder Ian Hatton provided an update on the progress of the project proposed between 20 and 50km offshore, Binh Thuan province (Ke Ga Cape), where an average wind speed of 9.5 metres per second has been recorded.

On January 22, the prime minister directed Enterprize to prepare and conduct a survey programme, feasibility report, and formal proposal to put 3,400MW of the project into the National Power Development Plan VII.

On March 11, the detailed survey and workplan to evaluate the 2,000 square kilometre Ke Ga ‘zone’ was submitted by Enterprize to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for approval. The contents of the plan include full environmental impact assessment, geotechnical research, wind resource assessment, grid connection and impact analysis, plus the design of sub-structures for offshore turbines and sub-stations, a project execution plan, and a financing plan.

The contractor for the entire survey plan is Electricity Construction Consultancy JSC 3 (EVN PECC3), supported by Enterprize Energy’s technical team and technical advisers from UK companies such as ODE, APEM, and Braemar. Financial planning is supported by Société Générale, appointed by Enterprize Energy to lead this process.

Enterprize Energy aims to construct the initial 600MW phase of the Ke Ga area by 2023

Enterprize Energy has adopted an accelerated, parallel-processed schedule to promote the rapid development of the Ke Ga zone. It has previously announced the selection of MVOW to supply wind turbine generators, the design of sub-structures by Vietsovpetro, and their fabrication by Vietsovpetro and PVC-MS. Société Générale has been appointed as lead advisor for project financing and structuring.

In the presentation, Ian Hatton announced that Enterprize Energy would be engaging with ODE to further develop the Articulated Wind Column (AWC) foundation, which can provide a cost-effective turbine foundation solution for water depths from 70 to 150 metres. “We see real potential for this foundation in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Japan. Enterprize has already identified prospective sites in Vietnam and Taiwan for its deployment,” Ian Hatton said. “It is a great example of technology transfer from the oil and gas sector, an area where the UK has been an exemplar of engineering excellence in successfully opening up energy resources in extremely challenging marine conditions.”

On March 7, Hatton was invited to address the Central Economic Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam, contributing to the development of future energy policy for Vietnam. He is the first non-Vietnamese person to be invited to present to the committee.

“This is a great honour for the Enterprize Energy team and me to be able to contribute our experience to Vietnam’s future energy policy development,” he said. “It comes in our tenth year of operation, a year where we have made progress in Taiwan with the Hai Long project, which signed the PPA for the 300MW ‘2A’ phase out of a total of 1,044MW. Additionally, in the UK, we are preparing to participate in the drilling of a gas production well in the southern North Sea to complement our plans to develop a natural gas and offshore wind hybrid,” he said.