Vietnam may require one new coal plant to meet the development needs of its emerging economy, but not the 26 that currently stand at the centre of the country’s post-2020 energy master plan, a team of experts told an energy conservation conference in Hanoi last week.
Taking those 25 coal facilities off the books “can save US$7 billion in coal imports and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 116 million tons each year,” VN Express reports, “prevent massive environmental pollution, and save a lot of money.”
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The presenters from the Green Innovation and Development Center (GreenID) said eliminating the 25 plants, with total capacity of 30 gigawatts, would reduce coal’s share of Vietnam’s electricity generation from 42.6 to 24.4%.
“GreenID also suggested that Vietnam increase the capacity of its renewable energy sources from 27 GW to 32 GW by 2030, increasing the contribution of this sector from 21 to 30% of the total,” the publication notes.
