EU helps Vietnam’s rural areas access sustainable energy
The European Commission (EC) and the Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) on February 27 publicised a component on the EU’s technical assistance to Vietnam’s energy sector.
The technical assistance is to serve the implementation of a EUR108 million (US$133 million) programme under which the EU will help Vietnam’s rural areas access sustainable energy.
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| Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh (L) and Stefano Manservisi, the EC’s Director General for International Cooperation and Development, at a press conference on February 27. |
The component, co-sponsored by the EU and the German Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development, will be carried out by the German Development Cooperation Agency (GIZ) in conjunction with the MoIT.
According to Stefano Manservisi, the EC’s Director General for International Cooperation and Development, the programme is expected to help the Vietnamese Government fulfil the target of providing electricity for 1.2 million rural households from 2013-2020, while enhancing State management in the energy sector to facilitate the country’s transition towards a more sustainable energy sector.
MoIT Minister Tran Tuan Anh said the rapid and sustainable development of the energy sector has helped Vietnam maintain socio-economic growth at a high pace, noting that Vietnam needs to invest about US$5-US$7 billion each year in the energy sector.
He stressed that the national target programme on providing electricity for rural, mountainous and island areas during 2016-2020 needs about EUR1.2 billion. Therefore, the Vietnamese Government welcomes the support of the EU in this field.
Once the programme is completed, about 750 villages with about 60,000 households, an island district and two island communes are expected to access electricity.
