HCM City (VNA)German businesses are ready to cooperate with and support Vietnam in developing wind power as the country boasts huge potential for renewable energy, including wind energy.

The statement was made by German Consul General to Ho Chi Minh City Andreas Siegel at a seminar on wind energy in Vietnam hosted by the German Chamber of Industry and Commerce in Vietnam on November 6.

Speakers at the event held that in the context of increasingly severe climate change and gas emissions that cause environmental pollution and threaten lives of people on the globe, the development of renewable energy – a source of clean energy – is extremely important, contributing to sustainable socio-economic growth.

Berthold Breid, Director of Renewables Academy AG (Renac), said that Germany is now focusing on developing renewable energy which accounts for 36 percent of the country’s total energy sources.

According to participants, Vietnam boasts favourable conditions to develop renewable energy, including wind energy. Under a draft national renewable energy development plan of the Energy Institute of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the country’s wind power output is expected to reach over 1,600MW by 2020 and 11,000MW by 2030.

However, besides advantages, Nguyen Anh Tuan, Director of the institute’s Renewable Energy Centre, pointed out challenges to wind power development in Vietnam such as shortcomings in policies and regulations, and limited land funds for wind farm development.

Vu Chi Mai, an expert from the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), said that renewable energy is defined as one of the strategic cooperation areas between Vietnam and Germany.

Therefore, GIZ is always willing to help Vietnam improve its legal framework and capacity development and promote technological cooperation with the country, she noted.-VNA
VNA