HCM City has set a target of saving 2 - 2.5 percent of energy consumption per year between now and 2020, with a view to protecting the environment. — Photo adayroi.com

HCM CITY — HCM City has set a target of saving 2 - 2.5 percent of energy consumption per year between now and 2020, with a view to protecting the environment.
The target is meant to achieve an annual average reduction of 220,000 – 250,000 tonnes of CO2.
To that end, the city will use high-performance equipment and energy-efficient, advanced technologies and gradually replace low-performance equipment and remove outdated technology.

The city aims for intensive energy-consuming industries to save at least 10 percent of energy consumption and around 10 percent of local businesses to apply an energy-management system meeting the ISO 50001 by 2020.
Efforts will be made to raise energy awareness at all levels, and among sectors, communities.
A project worth VNĐ1 billion (US$49,000) will install high-performance lighting equipment at all public locations from now up to 2020.
All construction material producers will be required to comply with the municipal Department of Science and Technology’s environmental standards for green construction materials. Currently, there are 179 construction material producers in the city, including 158 firms and 21 family facilities.
According to Lê Văn Khoa, Vice Chairman of the municipal People’s Committee, the city will launch relevant action plans and programmes to enhance supervision of the environmentally-unfriendly investment projects.
Communication work will be strengthened to raise public awareness about energy-saving, gradually expand the use of high-performance equipment, replace low-performance equipment and promote energy conservation in industrial production, Khoa said.
The city is working with the Japan International Cooperation Agency to set up a well-equipped centre for training energy management staff.
The facility is expected to supply skilled human resources to help key energy-consuming businesses save energy.
This year, the city is expected to consume between 21,400 and 21,600 million kWh, a rise of 7-8 per cent since 2015, according to EVN HCM City.—VNS