Finland’s Wartsila to help Vietnam with flexible internal combustion engine technology

Finnish firm Wartsila can facilitate Vietnam’s energy transition by providing its flexible internal combustion engine (ICE) technology, says vice president Frederic Carron.

The technology can fulfill electricity baseload and other renewable sources of solar and wind power, Carron said at a Tuesday meeting with Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long.

It can also help Vietnam transition from LNG-fired power to green hydrogen power, contributing to the country’s net zero commitment by 2050, he added.

Also at the meeting, Wartsila and EVNGENCO3, a power generation subsidiary of state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), discussed cooperation in implementing ICE tech at a thermal power plant in the northern province of Ninh Binh. The discussion followed a March meeting between the two sides on the move.

EVNGENCO3 executives said the move can boost green transition progress, deliver economic benefits and provide jobs for 400 workers.

Deputy Minister Long also discussed Finland’s potential support for Vietnam’s energy transition with Finnish Ambassador Keijo Norvanto. He said Finland, with its top-tier technology, could help Vietnam under the auspices of the Just Energy Transition Partnership (JETP) program.

Earlier this month, Deputy Minister of Finance Vo Thanh Hung had said international partners have committed to mobilizing $15.5 billion to finance Vietnam’s green transition under the JETP launched in December 2022, but Vietnam has yet to receive any loan from the facility.

In August 2023, Wartsila had said it was planning to build a 300-MW power plant using internal combustion engines (ICE) in Ninh Binh province. The VND5.6 trillion ($235 million) project, featuring 17 ICE systems, can contribute VND180 billion ($7.56 million) to the local budget yearly. Its capacity can also be expanded to 1,500 MW in the future.