Offshore wind power project proposed for HCMC

The proposed seaside project could generate up to 6,000 MW of electricity for the national grid.

Costing VND400 trillion (US$16.9 billion), the project would begin generating energy in 2030, the department said in a proposal made to the city’s People’s Committee.

The project would be built by a Japanese – Vietnamese joint venture and cover 325,000 ha of water off Can Gio District, as well as 8 ha of space at the Hiep Phuoc Industrial Park in rural Nha Be District.

The department said it had collected opinions from related agencies, including Can Gio authorities, and the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, before recommending the project to the city government.

It said the project will help the development of green energy in Vietnam. But the use of 325,000 ha of water surface will have significant impacts on the operation of cargo ships and fishing activities, as well as the environment, especially the mangrove forests of Can Gio.

Therefore, the project needs to go through a careful assessment.

As the only seaside district of HCMC, Can Gio lies about 50 km from the city’s downtown.

It is home to a mangrove forest recognized by UNESCO as Vietnam’s first biosphere reserve in 2000.

According to the Industry-Trade Department, HCMC consumes 25 billion MW of electricity, or 10% of the country’s total consumption, every year.

The city does not have its own source of power and has so far taken most of it from the Phu My Thermal Power Company in the neighboring province of Ba Ria - Vung Tau.

According to the National Power Development Plan, Vietnam will strive to increase the share of renewable energy in the country's power mix from the current rate of 16.7% to 30.9-39.2% by 2030 and 67.5-71.5% by 2050.

The government estimates that total capacity of offshore wind power for new energy production should reach about 15,000 MW by 2035 and around 240,000 MW by 2050.

From now to 2025, there is no limit to the capacity of rooftop solar power development provided that the prices are reasonable and the existing transmission network is not overloaded, particularly in the areas where power shortage is likely to occur.