As part of a broader cooperation between the authorities in Denmark and Vietnam, established in 2013, the Danish Energy Agency and the Vietnamese Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority (EREA) will now be cooperating on mapping the potential for offshore wind in Vietnam.

-Related solution: Long-term planning for a greener future

On 14 October 2019, a high-level Vietnamese delegation started a 10-day study trip around Denmark to seek inspiration from Danish expertise and solutions within offshore wind, energy planning and energy efficiency.

Rising energy demand requires investments in green technology

Vietnam is the 14th most populous country in the world, and in recent years, the country has experienced a huge increase in its energy consumption with annual growth rates of about 6 per cent. This has resulted in a massive expansion of fossil energy, and Vietnam’s CO₂ emissions from energy have almost doubled from 1994 to 2004. In order to meet the rising energy demand, Vietnam needs to invest billions in its future energy production and to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions it is of great importance to invest in green technology rather than black.

Luckily, the potential to increase the share of renewables in Vietnam's future energy production is high. The Vietnamese mainland has a coastline of 3,260 km and especially the sea east of Ho Chi Minh City is considered one of the areas in South East Asia with greatest potential for offshore wind.

-Related solution: The world's largest offshore wind farm

Exploring Danish solutions within offshore wind, energy planning and energy efficiency

The high-level Vietnamese delegation, led by EREA Director General Phuong Hoang Kim, will visit the Danish Energy Agency and Energy Lab  in Copenhagen, Avedøreværket in Hvidovre, test facilities at Lindø Offshore Renewables Center in Munkebo, Siemens-Gamesa Renewable Energy in Brande, Energinet in Fredericia and the shipping, production and operating facilities for offshore wind around the Port of Esbjerg.

The next step in the collaboration is that the Danish Energy Agency and EREA will prepare a roadmap for the Vietnamese authorities with proposals on how the development of offshore wind can be kick-started in the coming years. The result will be presented at a workshop in Hanoi by summer 2020.

More about the collaboration

• The Danish-Vietnamese energy partnership is run by the Danish Energy Agency and is financed by the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
• Established in 2013, the collaboration focuses on supporting Vietnam in fulfilling the Paris Agreement and the UN's global energy and climate goals.
• Denmark has 15 governmental collaborations on energy with countries that collectively emit more than 60 per cent of the world's CO₂. By building knowledge and capacity in partner countries' national authorities, policymakers are empowered to make sustainable and cost-effective energy policy decisions that support the global green transition.

Source: Danish Energy Agency

Photo: James Richard on Unsplash