Vietnam's Mekong Delta offers significant potential for biomass power generation: Erex exec 

The Mekong Delta region's abundance of straw and rice husks provides an affordable and sustainable resource for biomass power generation, says Tomoki Kakuta, CEO of Erex Group.

Kakuta made the statement at the Mekong Connect 2024 press meeting, held Tuesday in An Giang province, which connects the Mekong Delta provinces and Ho Chi Minh City.

Kakuta said that the Mekong Delta is Vietnam's largest rice-producing region, generating significant quantities of straw and rice husks - ideal materials for biomass energy production.

"Biomass power plants have input costs that are only half those of coal-fired plants, while also generating sufficient electricity to meet local and regional needs," Kakuta noted.

This source of power aligns with Vietnam’s commitments to reducing CO2 emissions under its sustainability roadmap, he added.

Erex, a Japanese corporation specializing in biomass-based fuel production and power generation, in October kicked off the construction of two biomass power plants in Vietnam’s northern provinces of Tuyen Quang and Yen Bai.

Construction of the two power plants is set to take 2.5 years. Each can consume 500,000 tons of wood residue as fuel yearly. Each of the two facilities has an annual capacity of 50 MW and selling prices of 8.47 U.S. cents per kWh.

The two power plants are part of Erex’s plan to build nearly two dozen biomass power plants in Vietnam, in line with the country’s national power development plan VIII (PDP VIII), towards net zero emission in 2050.

Erex is also building a biomass power plant in Hau Giang. The factory is expected to commence commercial operations by the end of 2024. It will deliver approximately 125 MW of electricity annually and contribute to energy security in Hau Giang and the broader Mekong Delta region.

The plant employs advanced technologies and uses rice husks as its primary input material, consuming around 130,000 tons annually. Erex is currently exploring the use of straw as an additional fuel source.

The group seeks collaboration with local agencies to identify and secure new sources of biomass fuel to support the sustainable operation of the facility.

An Giang's industrial production index increased by 10.41% in the first 11 months of the year, according to Nguyen Thi Minh Thuy, Vice Chairwoman of An Giang.

Cumulative export turnover exceeded $1.12 billion in the period, up 4.78%, she told the Mekong Connect 2024 press meeting.

The Mekong Connect Forum 2024 will take place on December 17-18 at An Giang University in Long Xuyen town, An Giang province. The event, themed "Promoting economic, trade, and technological cooperation in the Mekong Delta-HCMC and beyond, toward sustainable development in a competitive era," aims to foster growth and sustainability across the region.