Vietnam places strong emphasis on energy security: workshop

The workshop, held by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), reviewed the progress of the ongoing project “Promoting Energy Efficiency Investment Market in the industrial sector and Supporting the National Green Growth Action Plan of Vietnam”.

The project has been implemented from 2021 to 2025, with funding sourced from the Republic of Korea government through KOICA. It aims to contribute to the national goal of reducing energy intensity by improving energy efficiency in the industrial sector, ensuring energy security for socio-economic development, and reducing greenhouse gas emissions to address climate change.

According to Quach Quang Dong, deputy director of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Department of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, ensuring energy security is a key issue in all of Vietnam’s national policies.

In recent times, the world has witnessed many fluctuations such as geopolitical tensions and energy supply shortages that have directly impacted the energy market. These factors have not only affected daily life but also caused energy prices to fluctuate continuously.

Currently, approximately 100 countries have committed to implementing measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in order to achieve net-zero emissions, revealed Dong.

He went on to say that recognizing the importance of energy efficiency, on March 13, 2019, the Prime Minister approved the National Program on Energy Efficiency for 2019-2030. The program sets a target to achieve energy savings of 8% to 10% of total national energy consumption by 2030.

“In addition to optimally exploiting green and clean energy sources, energy savings and efficiency play a crucial role in ensuring national energy security,” stressed the official.

In Vietnam, he said the government passed the Law on Energy Efficiency in 2010 to promote energy management and strict control over energy consumption, with a target of conserving 8% to 10% of total national energy consumption from 2019 to 2030.

At the workshop, Yang Seo-hyeon, deputy director of KOICA Vietnam Office, noted that in 2021, KOICA and the Ministry of Industry and Trade began implementing the project, aiming to improve energy efficiency in industries in Vietnam, contributing to sustainable development and environmental protection.

Today’s workshop shares the results of energy audits conducted for industrial enterprises getting involved in the project, and discusses the current status of energy efficiency capacity building, and the development of energy consumption standards for the paper and steel industries, she said.

In the 2023-2024 period, experts from the RoK and Vietnam jointly conducted energy audits for 20 key enterprises in Vietnam across industries such as paper, steel, plastics, fertilizers, and cement. As a result, 366 energy-saving solutions were recommended, with an annual energy savings potential of 144,000 TOE (tonnes of oil equivalent).

The project also worked on developing and revising two energy consumption criteria for the paper and steel industries, as well as creating and disseminating five technical guidelines on energy efficiency for industries including paper and pulp, textile dyeing, steel, cement, and beverages.

As part of the project, capacity-building activities were also implemented, such as updating and revising training curricula for energy audits and energy management, organizing training courses, and certifying 160 energy management officials and 40 energy auditors.

In addition to these results, the workshop shared information to help industrial enterprises identify energy-saving solutions, gain insights from project implementation experiences, and access financing sources to effectively deploy energy-saving projects.