Pause appraisal of offshore wind projects: ministry

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed that the Prime Minister halts appraisal of offshore wind power projects until the government issues new regulations covering their implementation.

It argues that the pause is necessitated by legal and technical difficulties including a lack of rules on foreign institutions and individuals not being allowed to make wind measurements and geological and topographical surveys, as well as rules on management of such activities.

The ministry says it had received 55 applications to conduct surveys as of the end of August, including 19 from foreign investors and foreign economic entities. The total capacity of these projects is over 100 GW and the total sea area for surveys is about 30,000 square kilometers.

The ministry has so far approved the installation of a LiDAR wind measurement gauge for a $1.4 billion offshore wind power project in Ben Tre province. Mainstream Renewable Power and a Vietnamese partner installed the equipment late last month for a feasibility study.

The approval does not cover surveying and measuring the depth of the seabed, its characteristics, geological strata, boundaries of soil and rock layers, and oceanographic parameters.

The ministry has sent 19 other proposals to relevant ministries and localities, seeking advice and comments

In addition, there are at least 40 proposals subject to provincial authorities' approval as the projects are entirely domestic and located within sea areas of six nautical miles.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s latest draft power development plan, better known as PDP VIII, renewable energy, including wind and solar power, would account for 16.4-17.1% of the total generated and imported energy in Vietnam by 2025, and 40.1%-40.7% in 2045.