A workshop was held in Ho Chi Minh City on July 17 seeking to further develop renewable energy resources in Vietnam, especially in southern localities.

In recent years, special attention has been given to researching and developing solar and wind energy as a replaceable source of fuel for the country.

According to the Energy Institute, a map tracking wind resources jointly made by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the World Bank is expected to be completed by 2015, hopefully aiding projects to generate power from wind.

The country is also seeking to develop other sources of renewable energy, such as bio-gas, waste energy and biomass energy.

Ly Ngoc Thang from the Energy Institute said the country will face the increasing needs for energy and electricity in the coming time and need to import coal for power generation after 2015.

Therefore, the development of renewable energy recourses should be speeded as fossil fuels are becoming exhausted. The move will help ensure energy security and protect the environment.

Ho Chi Minh City has carried out projects to turn solid waste into energy, bringing practical benefits to its 10-million population, heard the workshop.

Experts suggested the State come up with capital support and price subsidy policies to investors operating the field.

They called for clearing bottlenecks in administrative procedure and infrastructure for the sector’s development.-VNA