Investors sought to harness Quang Tri sun and wind power

Nguyen Duc Chinh, Chairman of Quang Tri Province People’s Committee

What are the specific characteristics and advantages of Quang Tri Province in developing clean energy?

Quang Tri has recently prioritized investment attraction in clean energy and wishes to become a clean energy center in the central region.

The province is home to 16 wind power projects with total capacity of 578 MW planned and under construction. Meanwhile, 39 other power projects with combined capacity of around 2,200 MW have been submitted to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for approval.

Quang Tri has encouraged investors to build wind power projects in western areas of the province because they are considered “wind caves” with great potential for harnessing power. On the other hand, since these western areas are mainly hills and mountains and at a low level of socioeconomic development, the province would provide the most favorable conditions for investors in terms of site clearance, land allocation and other administrative procedures.

What are the expectations from the wind power fields in the western areas?

The construction of wind power projects here will create a “push” for socioeconomic development in those areas, creating jobs and contributing to poverty reduction. The province has asked investors to build wind power fields which not only generate power, but also create a clean ecological environment and ensure the livelihoods of local residents.

If the wind power fields are well organized and constructed, vegetables or grass could be planted below the turbines to provide pastureland, making it an interesting place to visit and attracting investors to exploit the region’s tourism potential, too.

What solutions has Quang Tri suggested to deal with difficulties in implementing clean energy projects?

Developing renewable energy is the right direction but appropriate policies are needed to ensure national energy security and also to combat climate change and greenhouse gas emissions.

The province’s biggest obstacle is a lack of transmission lines to collect power from wind power plants and investors are hesitant to carry out investment in this field.

Therefore, favorable and open policies are needed to call for investment from the non-state sector, including the private sector in power transmission systems. In addition, the government should adopt stable incentivizing policies on power prices to attract investors, and mobilize capital resources to develop renewable energy, including solar power and wind power.