A number of contracts were signed on September 25 in the Mekong Delta province of Hau Giang in preparation for the construction of the Hau Giang rice husk-fired thermal power plant.

The 32 million USD project, funded by the Exim Bank of Malaysia and the Vietnam Development Bank, is expected to kick-start in late December this year, as part of activities to mark the 10 th anniversary of the re-establishment of the province.

Covering an area of 9 hectares in the provincial town of Long My , the 10-MW plant will be operational in two years.

Once completed, the plant will not only provide clean energy resources but also contribute to environmental protection in the region where rice husks are abundant in the post-harvest time, said Deputy Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Thanh Nhon.

The project is part of the plan to build 20 rice husk thermo-electric plants across the country, including five in An Giang, Kien Giang, Hau Giang, Dong Thap, and Can Tho city in the granary-labelled Mekong Delta, said Pham Trong Thuc, Director of the Renewable Energy Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade.-VNA