BEM Project contributes research to Vietnam’s upcoming 8th Master Plan on Power Development

GIZ and the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority (EREA) under the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) are jointly conducting a study on bioenergy for Viet Nam’s forthcoming Power Development Plan (PDP) VIII, one of the most important infrastructure plans for the nation’s power sector.

The study’s initial results were presented at a consultation workshop on 9 March 2021 in Hanoi to gather expert opinions about key issues, including the evaluation of the country’s current status and potential of bioenergy power and scenarios for developing the energy in the PDP VIII as well as the resource capacity, project opportunities and estimated investment costs of bioenergy in the Mekong Delta region, one of the country’s highest-potential areas.

“The bioenergy analysis under discussion today aims to contribute to potential changes in the general energy project development structure in Viet Nam and specifically for the bioenergy power development in the period 2021 to 2030,” said Mr. Nathan Moore, Director of the Climate Protection through Sustainable Bioenergy Markets in Viet Nam (BEM) project.

“If developed sustainably, bioenergy resources will not only help the country reduce its dependence on fossil-fuel electricity sources and reduce carbon emissions but also contribute to a diversified and secure energy mix as foreseen in the PDP VIII,” he added.

As an agricultural developing country, Viet Nam has a huge potential for bioenergy, such as bagasse, rice husk, wood chips, agricultural waste, which that can be used for electricity production. To date, a total 10 sugar factories have installed on-grid biomass power generation totaling 504.7 MW nationwide.

The Government has been working hard to formulate policies to expand the use of bioenergy.

The PDP VIII is expected to put more emphasis on renewable energy than the previous plan, consistent with Viet Nam’s commitment to reduce future CO2 emissions. The plan is based on multidimensional studies to ensure the short- and long-term power system development for each region and the whole country is conducted with high reliability and reasonable costs, aiming to contribute to the national socio-economic development goals and minimize negative environmental and climate impacts.

The bioenergy study is a part of the BEM project which is implemented by GIZ and EREA/MOIT. The project is commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU).