Project debut expands Ben Tre province wind power capacity

The 30 megawatt Thanh Hai Wind Power Plant 5, phase 1 was inaugurated late last week in the Mekong Delta province of Ben Tre, witnessed by President Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The two-phase wind farm, located in Thanh Phu district, is invested by Tan Hoan Cau Ben Tre JSC. It is designed with a combined capacity of 120 MW to provide 425 million kilowatt-hours each year. The inauguration event hooked the plant to the national grid.

With a 65-kilometer-long coastline running through three districts and a special economic zone covering almost 20,000 square kilometers, Ben Tre has advantages in developing a sea-based economy.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has approved the southern province’s planning for 19 wind power projects with a total capacity of 1,007.7 MW, according to the provincial Department of Industry and Trade.

Among the projects, five with a combined capacity of 93.05 MW were put into operation before October 31, 2021 - Vietnam’s deadline for the preferential feed-in-tariffs (FiTs).

Launching the Thanh Hai wind farm was part of State President Nguyen Xuan Phuc’s working trip to the province, in which he asked Ben Tre to ensure harmonious development, with trade, services, and tourism as its spearhead economic sectors.

He asked the province to further restructure its agricultural sector, strive to adapt to climate change, and consolidate value chains of agricultural products.

Ben Tre should call for investment in wind, solar and gas power and biomass, pharmacy - biomedicine, and large-scale industrial production projects that do not harm the environment, he suggested.