A 420 MW solar power project, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, has officially started production in Tay Ninh.
The inauguration of the Dau Tieng Solar Power Complex, a joint venture between Vietnamese construction firm Xuan Cau and Thai conglomerate B.Grimm, took place Saturday in Tan Chau District, Tay Ninh Province, around 100 km (62 miles) from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam News Express reported.
The $391 million complex covers 540 hectares within the semi-submerged land at Dau Tieng Lake, the largest manmade lake in the country.
Construction on the complex started in June last year and was completed in about 10 months.
It is expected to provide Vietnam’s national electricity grid with about 688 million kWh per year, equivalent to the consumption of nearly 320,000 households. The developers believe the solar power plant can meet electricity demand for all of Tay Ninh, while also supplying some power for other parts of southern Vietnam.
Nguyen Van Binh, head of the Central Economic Commission, said at the inauguration ceremony that the plant would help turn Tay Ninh into one of the country's "capitals" of solar power.
"It will contribute to the valuable resources of green and clean energy, while helping ensure national energy security and boosting local socio-economic development," he said.
According to a report by Solarplaza, in 2018, Vietnam achieved almost 99% electrification; however, energy demand is expected to grow by 10% annually over the next five years, meaning overall capacity will need to double. The development of renewable energy sources is therefore necessary to ensure energy security and meet the growing power demand.
Solar power currently accounts for 0.01 percent of the country's total power output, but the government plans to increase the ratio to 3.3 percent by 2030 and 20 percent by 2050.
Vietnam now depends largely on hydropower and thermal power plants for its electricity demands
