Vietnam aims high for energy saving in next five years

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has just set a target to save on power consumption by 8% to 10% in the next five years by mainly raising public awareness and encouraging companies to upgrade technologies, an official said.

“The ministry is petitioning the Government to approve this high target,” said Nguyen Dinh Hiep, director of the Science and Technology Department of the ministry.

Hiep said the high target was built on the success of power savings in the past five year as phase one of the national power saving program, during which the country saved some 4 billion kWh of power, equivalent to 5% of the country’s annual electricity consumption. The target for the second phase from 2011 to 2015 of the national strategic program is one of the vital measures for ensuring energy security for the country, he said.

Beside some achievements resulting from the 2006-2010 program, Hiep said, the awareness about energy saving among people and industrial producers was still limited, as power consumption at steel and cement plants remained high.

Meanwhile, lending policy for enterprises embracing energy saving solutions is still inadequate.

As the country’s demand for electricity is expected to increase 15-17% annually in the coming years, the ministry will implement some key projects to save more power in this second phase with a total budget of US$3 million a year.

These projects will focus on spurring public awareness of energy saving, and energy efficiency in the industrial production, construction, and transport sectors.