Foreign firm proposes stopping new coal-fired thermal power projects

By Trung Chanh

The Duyen Hai Thermal Power Plant in Tra Vinh Province. Engineering consultancy firm headquartered in the Netherlands, Royal HaskoningDHV, and German development agency GIZ proposed stopping new coal-fired thermal power projects in the Mekong Delta region to focus on clean energy – PHOTO: TRUNG CHANH

CAN THO – The engineering consultancy firm headquartered in the Netherlands, Royal HaskoningDHV, and German development agency GIZ proposed stopping new coal-fired thermal power projects in the Mekong Delta region to focus on clean energy there at a conference to discuss a power plan for the region in the 2021-2030 period with a vision toward 2050 held last week in Can Tho City.

Speaking at the conference, a representative of Royal HaskoningDHV said that the region has nine coal-fueled thermal power plants with a total installed capacity of some 5,500 megawatts (MW), 10 waste-to-energy plants, one wind power plant and eight solar power ones.

Meanwhile, in line with its power development plan, in 2025, the Mekong Delta region will have three more thermal power plants in need of imported coal with a total capacity of 3,600 MW and three solar power plants and three wind power facilities with a combined capacity of over 546 MW.

By 2030, some coal and gas-fired power plants will be developed in the region to add 22,370 MW to the power grid.

However, the representative proposed the power plan in the 2021-2030 period with a vision toward 2050 should focus on renewable energy and liquefied natural gas-fired thermal power.

Accordingly, coal- and oil-fueled thermal power plants, which are under construction, are set to generate 3,600 MW, while gas-fired power plants will generate 9,400 MW. Of the total 22,400 MW for the power plan for the new period, wind, solar and biomass power plants will account for 9,400 MW. As such, the proposal excluded new coal-fired thermal power projects.

To fulfill the target, Royal HaskoningDHV proposed developing power transmission systems to support renewable energy sources.

Apart from continuing to develop the gas industry until 2025, it is necessary to build the O Mon gas pipeline system and some facilities to store LNG for the Mekong Delta region after 2025.