IFC promotes waste-to-energy solutions as Vietnam shifts to low-carbon economy

IFC’s support includes a $15 million concessional loan from the Finland-IFC Blended Finance for Climate Program, which was established to catalyse innovative investments with strong development and climate benefits and to unlock private financing for climate-smart projects in developing countries. The project is also financially supported by the Japanese government under its Financing Program for the Joint Crediting Mechanism (JCM) Model Projects in fiscal year 2021. This project is being implemented under the cooperation between the governments of Vietnam and Japan.

The financing package will allow T&J Green Energy Co., Ltd. – a joint venture between Thuan Thanh Environment JSC, a Bac Ninh-based recycling company, and JFE Engineering Corporation, a leading Japanese company in the construction and operation of waste treatment facilities – to develop a modern waste-to-energy plant in Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. The plant is expected to begin operations in 2024 and will incinerate 500 tonnes of municipal and industrial solid waste every day, significantly boosting the province’s current waste treatment capacity.

With about 1.4 million people and 16 industrial parks, Bac Ninh generates over 1,000 tonnes of municipal solid waste every day. Only 50 per cent of it is treated, mostly through inefficient incinerators without energy recovery or robust emission control. Nationwide, the amount of solid waste was about 36 million tonnes in 2019, and this is expected to double by 2030, with more than 60 per cent of the waste not being treated or disposed of efficiently. Against this backdrop, the T&J plant will introduce an environmentally sound waste treatment and disposal solution, helping avoid issues related to soil and groundwater contamination.

“This will be the most modern waste-to-energy plant in Vietnam,” said Vu Manh Tien, general director of T&J Green Energy Co., Ltd. “With IFC’s funding, the advanced waste treatment solution will help improve the province’s waste management infrastructure, thereby enhancing living conditions for the local population and reducing health risks. The new plant also will enable us to address related environmental and public health issues and cater to the growing demands of the industrial parks in the locality.”

Waste incineration at the plant is expected to generate 91,872MWh of clean energy a year, preventing about 600,000 tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions over 15 years. The power generated will be sold to Vietnam Electricity Corporation under a 20-year feed-in-tariff power purchase scheme.

"Treating waste as a source for clean energy is a sound solution to help solve Vietnam’s urgent waste problem and support the country’s transition to a low-carbon growth trajectory,” said Kyle Kelhofer, IFC country manager for Vietnam, Cambodia, and Lao PDR. “IFC’s financing of a private waste treatment company will help reduce the burden on the government, accelerating private sector engagement for Vietnam’s critical infrastructure.”