Government issues plan to increase renewable energy use

Rooftop solar panels installed at a house in northern Bac Ninh province (Photo: VNA)

Hanoi - Vietnam aims to raise its renewable energy sources to 15-20 percent of the total energy supply by 2030 and 25-30 percent by 2045.

The targets have been set in the Government’s action plan on the implementation of Vietnam’s national energy development strategy by 2030.

PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc has issued the action plan to realise the Party Central Committee’s Resolution No. 55-NQ/TW dated February 11, 2020 on the orientation of the National Energy Development Strategy to 2030.

Under the action plan, the Government will strive to meet domestic energy demand and satisfy targets of the 10-year socio-economic development strategy for 2021-2030.

Specifically, total primary energy supply will reach 175-195 million tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) by 2030 and 320-350 million TOE by 2045.

Total installed capacity of power sources will be raised to about 125-130 GW and the power output to 550-600 billion kWh by 2030.

Total final energy consumption will touch 105-115 million TOE by 2030 and 160-190 million TOE by 2045. Primary energy intensity will be 420-460 kgOE/1,000 USD GDP by 2030 and 375-410 kgOE/1,000 USD GDP by 2045.

The ratio of energy saving over total final energy consumption compared to the business-as-usual scenario will be increased to around 7 percent by 2030 and 14 percent by 2045.

The Government targets to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from energy activities against the business-as-usual scenario by 15 percent and 20 percent by 2030 and 2045, respectively.

It also plans to build a smart grid system that can be connected safely with regional grids and meet N-1 criteria for important load centres and N-2 criteria for extremely important load centres.

The reliability of power supply will be among the top four ASEAN countries while the power access indicator among the top three ASEAN countries over the next decade.

By 2045, the Government will synchronously develop factors of a competitive and transparent energy market in accordance with the socialist-oriented market economy; ensure sustainable development of energy sub-sectors as well as efficient utilisation of natural resources.

The Government will also focus on ensuring the quality of human resources, technological and scientific qualification and governance capacity of the energy sector to meet the level of a modern and developed country.

In order to fulfil these targets, the plan sets key tasks, including developing primary energy supply sources towards increasing self-sufficiency, persification, ensuring efficiency and sustainability; rapidly and sustainably developing the electricity sector to meet the country’s modernisation and industrialisation demand; and restructuring sectors and regions consuming power in parallel with implementing policies on using clean energy and using energy economically and effectively.

Other tasks include restructuring, renewing and improving operation efficiency of State-owned enterprises in the field of energy; encouraging the private sector to develop energy; and renewing mechanisms and policies and developing the energy market comprehensively and effectively.