More than 80 local government officers, energy investors and experts gathered to discuss about sustainable energy development in “An Giang – Ready for Sustainable Energy Development for Green House Gas Emission Reduction” information workshop on November 13, 2018. The workshop was co-organized by An Giang Department of Industry and Trade (DOIT) and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) as part of a Vietnamese-German cooperation between Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State (Germany) and An Giang Province (Viet Nam). The cooperation has been initiated in 2017 under the GIZ “German Government and Federal State Pilot Programme”, financed by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).
At the workshop, the participants were introduced to experiences and lessons in sustainable energy development but also to new approaches to include different renewable energy sources into provincial power supply. These approaches were acquired in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State best practices on renewable energy. An Giang DOIT also presented the province’s Sustainable Energy Development Strategy while two local experts provided information about status and potential of sustainable energy development in Viet Nam.
“One of our focuses in An Giang’s energy sector will be to explore and realize its renewable energy potential in order to meet with increasing energy demand in the province while at the same time contributing to climate change mitigation, environmental protection and GHG-emission reduction. I hope that after this workshop, companies and businesses have gained a better understanding about the development of renewable energy (RE) and can get ready for upcoming RE projects”, said Mr. Doan Minh Triet, Deputy Director General of An Giang DOIT.
Following the workshop, An Giang DOIT and GIZ will organize two intensive training courses for local energy experts and project developers on solar energy and bioenergy, on 14-16 and 28-30 November 2018 respectively. The training programme will focus on topics such as due diligence, planning, design and development of solar and bioenergy projects.
“The workshop and trainings are important parts of the unique partnership between An Giang and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. We work together closely to identify support options, which help An Giang to advance renewable energy development as a way to mitigate climate change impacts and reduce GHG-emissions. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern has developed into a leading province of renewable energy in Germany and we are glad that we can support An Giang to achieve their goals”, Ms. Olga Weigel, Programme Director of German Government and Federal State Pilot Programme, emphasized.
“Solar and biomass energy in An Giang province is still at infancy stage. In that context, it is really important to develop capacity of local stakeholders in the sector. Through the trainings, investors and project developers will have a better understanding of solar energy and bioenergy production and gain confidence in the technology. The trainings are the first steps to help local stakeholders get ready for potential upcoming renewable energy projects, and also support An Giang to utilize its potential for solar and biogas energy”, Dipl.-Ing. Ditmar Schmidt, international trainer and Co-founder of Solarinitiative Mecklenburg – Vorpommern (SIMV e.V), described the objectives of the trainings.
As part of the cooperation between Mecklenburg-Vorpommern State and An Giang Province, a demonstration system of 3 kWp solar PV rooftop will be installed on An Giang DOIT’s building in March 2019. The setup of the demonstration system will provide opportunities for technology and knowhow transfer. It will serve as a concrete example and reference for the development of solar PV rooftop in An Giang in the future.
