KHÁNH HÒA — The Central Power Corporation (CPC) under the Việt Nam Electricity Group (EVN) will build a solar plant project with a capacity of 50 megawatts (MW) and solar farms in the south-central coastal province of Khánh Hoà.

CPC’s deputy general director, Nguyễn Thành, told Việt Nam News on Thursday that the plant will be located on 70ha in five rural communes of Cam Lâm District and Cam Ranh City, 40km south of the city of Nha Trang.

He said the company has been awarded an investment certificate by the provincial People’s Committee, and a feasibility study would begin in late 2017. As scheduled, the plant will supply renewable energy for rural areas and the national grid from 2019.

Thành said the corporation and EVN have been negotiating with the Asia Development Bank (ADB) in seeking preferential loans for the project. The Đà Nẵng-based corporation also plans to co-operate with Japanese Mitsubishi in production of battery-powered cars.

According to a survey, Khánh Hòa has great potential for solar energy with solar radiation of 5.4Kwh per square metre each day, and over 2,600 sunshine hours a year.

The province said 10 investors have registered to develop solar power projects in Khánh Hòa, with a total capacity of 2,000MW.

In 2014, Việt Nam’s first solar power project with a 19.2MW-capacity was built in the central province of Quảng Ngãi. — VNS