Long An switches to investment in renewable energy projects
Long An switches to investment in renewable energy projects
The Mekong Delta province of Long An has shifted its focus to attracting investment in solar power projects, while withdrawing a previous plan to develop coal-fired plants.
There are 15 solar power projects being funded by the province to date, with total capacity exceeding 1,300 megawatts (MW).
Among them, eight projects, with a total capacity of 440 MW, were approved for addition to the national master plan on power development, created by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, according to Director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade Le Minh Duc.
He told the Saigon Times that four out of the eight approved projects are under construction, while another has been commissioned and connected to the national power grid. The provincial authorities and investors are racing against time to have four more projects added to the grid by June, he said.
Duc added that Sao Mai Group, TTC Group, Bang Duong and Long An Solar Energy Company are among the investors funding the solar power projects.
The investors are increasing their investment in these solar-power projects to take advantage of preferential policies from the Government for solar-power projects connected to the national grid prior to June 30.
Meanwhile, Long An Thermal Power Center has cancelled the plan to build coal-fueled plants due to their harmful effects on the environment.
Earlier, in August last year, the provincial government wrote to the ministry, noting its refusal to develop coal-fueled plant projects at the center. The projects initially required an estimated US$5 billion in investment and had a total capacity of 2,800 MW.
