Declaring the workshop's opening, EVN Vice President Ngo Son Hai said that over the past 3 years, renewable energy sources have developed very quickly with the Government's policy to encourage development. Up to now, there are about 16,500MW of solar power and 5,000MW of wind power (accounting for about 27% of the installed capacity of the whole power system). Renewable energy sources are important to contribute to ensuring power supply, especially in the southern region - where the load growth rate was high in previous years.
At the United Nations climate change summit in 2021 (COP-26), the Government of Vietnam made a strong carbon-neutral commitment by 2050. This target is set for the sector of power. Vietnam's energy, especially the electricity industry, faces enormous challenges when ensuring energy security, supplying a stable power source for socio-economic development, and fulfilling its commitments to reducing CO2 emissions and meeting reasonable electricity prices.
According to Mr. Bui Quoc Hung - Deputy Director of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Department, Vietnam is still a developing country with a low-income economy, so funding for the implementation of the upcoming Power Master Plan VIII is a very big challenge. Vietnam urgently needs support in terms of investment capital and technology, learning from experiences in renewable energy development, and power grid management and operation from countries with strengths to meet future power supply.
According to Ms. Ann Måwe - Swedish Ambassador to Vietnam, the energy transition in Vietnam has been taking place strongly in recent years, in line with the global trend. The dramatic increase in renewable energy - which is naturally weather-dependent - in the power generation structure can cause a number of operational challenges. One of the challenges is that the existing grid may not be able to respond to new generation sources located in locations far from the load center.
And Dr. Gerhard Salge - Global Technology Director of Hitachi Energy said that automation technology and digital technology play an extremely important role in the management of power systems for countries. Dr. Gerhard Salge also informed the workshop of a number of solutions to address challenges in energy transition and sustainable power system management, such as efficient use of hydroelectric potential, exchange, and connectivity among countries in order to stabilize the power grid; interconnection of the power system by HVDC technology, and so on.
At the workshop, the delegates also spent a lot of time exchanging and discussing with Swedish businesses about the experience of implementing energy transition in other countries, challenges in operating the power system with renewable energy sources accounting for a large proportion; and sharing experiences and practical examples on the method of solving those challenges by applying technological solutions and advanced equipment.
Concluding the workshop, Vice President Ngo Son Hai emphasized that the sharing of digital technology solutions, advanced automation systems as well as extensive experience in the energy field from Hitachi Energy is very valuable to EVN and related units, and opens up potential cooperation opportunities in the future. EVN's leaders also affirmed that, in addition to developing power production from renewable energy, EVN is also promoting digital transformation. In recent years, with the application of digital technology, the power sector has improved service quality, which is recognized and appreciated by power customers.
Some photos of the workshop:
Workshop "Energy transition - The role of the power system".
EVN Vice President Ngo Son Hai delivering the opening speech of the workshop.
Mr. Bui Quoc Hung - Deputy Director of the Department of Electricity and Renewable Energy, Ministry of Industry and Trade informing the workshop on the current situation of developing renewable energy systems in Vietnam.
Ms. Ann Måwe - Ambassador of Sweden to Vietnam expressing her wish to promote and facilitate cooperation between Sweden and Vietnam in the field of energy.
Mr. Dinh Xuan Duc - Head of Methodology Department, National Load Dispatch Center presenting the issue of integrating renewable energy in Vietnam.