On 16 June, in Hanoi, the EU Energy Initiative Partnership Dialogue Facility (EUEI PDF) in collaboration with the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) of the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT), held the first stakeholder workshop to develop a net-metering policy for solar energy in Vietnam.
The EUEI PDF has been providing technical assistance to ERAV to develop an economically and technically feasible net-metering scheme for the promotion of solar PV rooftops. With solar expected to become the main renewable energy in Vietnam’s portfolio, and following the introduction of an electricity tariff for solar energy in April, the net-metering policy completes the regulatory framework necessary for the country to fully deploy its solar power potential.
“Vietnam has ambitious target to capitalise on the country’s solar power potential, and has expressed the political will to achieve it. With the support and international insights provided by the EUEI PDF we will soon also provide a contribution to this process. This workshop is a first step to set up a participatory process to achieve the engagement of all relevant stakeholders in the country”, said Alejandro Montalban of the EU Delegation at the workshop.
The stakeholder workshop saw the participation of the representatives of the policy, regulatory, business and international communities. During the workshop, participants learnt from international best practices, identifying possible policy, regulatory and technical challenges, before addressing the technical details and options for a net-metering scheme for Vietnam.
The workshop was part of a week of in-depth consultations for the EUEI PDF international team of consultants that met meet with key stakeholders, including the utility, power companies, developers and investors, international donors to help ensure that the net-metering policy meets the needs of the sector from a regulatory and technical point of view. This will also help ensure that Vietnam meets its goal to install 12 GW of solar by 2030.
Following the stakeholder workshop, EUEI PDF will work to develop the details of the net-metering scheme, drafting a decision and identifying where existing legislation and policies need to be brought in-line. A thorough validation of the technical capacities and potential impacts of solar on the Vietnamese electricity grid will also be conducted, to ensure its stability and the technical feasibility of an uptake of solar. Finally, EUEI PDF will also provide training in the new net-metering scheme to policy makers, developers and other key actors to help ensure the successful roll-out of the scheme.
