First wind power farm in Ninh Thuan gets go-ahead

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc gave the go-ahead on August 27 to move forward with the 90MW wind farm located in the two villages of Bac Phong and Loi Hai in Thuan Bac district with 45 turbines.

The decision comes at a time when climate-change and energy policies are in flux in Vietnam and the national debate centres on how best to collectively fight greenhouse gases and environmental pollution.

The expansion of wind power, said the Prime Minister, especially in areas where winds blow more steadily, is a striking example of how Vietnam is moving to implement pragmatic domestic solutions to producing energy without exacerbating climate change.

The project to be funded by Trungnam Group would be the first wind power project in Ninh Thuan when completed. It has an initial budget of US$172 million but is scheduled to be constructed and funded in phases through the third quarter of 2020.

The first phase according to the construction schedule would be completed in the fourth quarter of next year, if there were no unanticipated problems. It would also generate in addition to electrical power, thousands of jobs for local people, if successful.