A wind power plant project in Bến Tre Province’s Thạnh Phú District. Photo courtesy of sgpp.org.vn

HCM CITY — Numerous wind power projects are being implemented in provinces in the Mekong Delta region.

Bạc Liêu is one of the pioneering provinces developing coastal wind power. Almost the entire length of the province’s coastline is covered with wind and solar power projects.

Contractors are currently carrying out construction on many items at the Hoà Bình 1 power plant site in Đông Hải District. All 13 turbines are basically completed.

As one of the five pillars of Bạc Liêu Province’s economic development is renewable energy, calls for investment in clean energy have been carried out, Sài Gòn Giải Phóng (Liberated Sài Gòn) newspaper reported.

The chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, Dương Thành Trung, said that while the Bạc Liêu wind power plant (phase No 1 and No 2) is under operation, Bạc Liêu has been building another nine wind power projects. They are expected to be completed by November 2021.

Bạc Liêu has recently approved investment for a Liquefied Natural Gas Thermal Power Plant (LNG), worth US$4 billion, he added.

Meanwhile, authorities in Sóc Trăng have conducted research on the feasibility of installing wind power plants. The deputy director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, Lê Thành Thanh, said the coastal area of Sóc Trăng has great potential for wind power development.

“The coastline is long and wide, with wind speed reaching 8.3m/second at an altitude of 120m. This creates favourable conditions for development of wind power on land and offshore, with the capacity of about 7,000MW," he said.

The Government has approved 20 wind power projects to be installed in Sóc Trăng Province. Eight of them are expected to be ready in October 2021, and the rest in 2022 and 2023.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has given approval to Bến Tre Province to develop wind power along the coastline and alluvial areas, covering a total of 39,320ha. Six wind power plant projects have been officially approved so far.

In Cà Mau Province, construction of the Tân Thuận wind power plant (phase No.1) in Dầm Dơi District kicked off in late 2019. It is expected to be completed in the third quarter of 2021.  

Authorities in Cà Mau stressed the importance of this project and how it would boost provincial socio-economic development.

Speeding up

Recently, the Sóc Trăng Province's Department of Industry and Trade has collaborated with related authorities to install 110kV lines while taking advantage of Việt Nam Electricity (EVN)’s capital resources to build a quality electricity system that works in harmony with existing renewable energy projects.

For Bạc Liêu Province to become one of the national centres for clean energy, local authorities have worked with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to include several power projects that transmit 500Kv and 220kV in the planning map. They have also encouraged private firms to invest in energy development.

In Cà Mau, investors have proposed over 20 wind power projects with a total capacity of 8,480MW. About seven of them have been approved for research, with a capacity of over 4,2000MW. 

Cà Mau needs to build more 500kV lines and transformer stations that will be connected with existing wind power plants to release the full capacity of energy sources.

Development of wind power in the Mekong Delta is a positive sign, but experts are concerned that electricity systems are not yet synchronised, which may lead to a waste of resources.

Bạc Liêu Province People’s Committee has discussed with EVN about the construction of four electricity girds to release renewable energy in the area.

The province will help EVN in site clearance and related issues while seeking help from the latter to accelerate the synchronisation process in the area.  VNS