Meeting of the Steering Committee of the Vietnam - Denmark Energy Partnership Cooperation Program

Also attending were leaders of the Departments and Offices of the Ministry of Industry and Trade including: Energy Saving and Sustainable Development , Electricity Regulation, Electricity and Renewable Energy; representatives of the Danish Energy Agency (Danish Ministry of Energy, Climate and Infrastructure), and the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam.

Overview of the 4th meeting of the Steering Committee of the Vietnam - Denmark Energy Partnership Program

Recognizing the efforts of both sides

The meeting aims to evaluate the work done in 2024 and propose activities for the coming time.

The 4th meeting focused on assessing the progress of implementing activities in 2024, agreeing on the plan to implement the Program in the remaining time, and discussing cooperation orientations for the next phase to promote cooperation between the two countries in the energy sector, contributing to the transition and sustainable development of Vietnam's energy sector.

Speaking at the meeting, Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long said: Denmark is an important partner of Vietnam in the energy transition process. The meeting is an opportunity for both sides to review, look back at the program and orient the next phase.

Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long speaks at the meeting

“Vietnam is entering an era of growth, a new era of development. In 2025, we set a target of double-digit economic growth, and this will be realized through growth in the energy sector. Thus, we will have to “attack” in both areas: Energy conversion and increasing the proportion of renewable energy in the energy structure, while using energy economically and efficiently is equally important,” Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long emphasized, adding that in 2025, Vietnam will amend the Law on Economical and Efficient Use of Energy, and the draft law will be submitted to the 9th Session of the 15th National Assembly next May.

Sharing the same view with Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long, Mr. Nicolai Prytz agreed that this was an important meeting. The Danish Ambassador thanked the Ministry of Industry and Trade for the positive developments in the energy sector.

Mr. Nicolai Prytz - Danish Ambassador to Vietnam

Mr. Nicolai Prytz affirmed that after the Electricity Law (amended) was promulgated, many decrees were issued. In the last year of phase 3, we will summarize what has been done and orient the next phase. The most important thing is to reshape and catch up with the orientations and roles of the energy sector in the new development phase of Vietnam. This will be a busy and interesting year for both sides. "In particular, the issue of using energy economically and efficiently mentioned by Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long is one of the contents that we have invested a lot in and achieved positive results and is a content that is prioritized by the international community" - Mr. Nicolai Prytz shared.

Progress assessment in 2024

At the meeting, the Program implementation units from both Vietnam and Denmark focused on evaluating the results of the implementation of the 2024 Implementation Plan for the three project components.

Mr. Loui Algren - National Project Manager, Danish Energy Agency

Accordingly, for Component 1 - Capacity building on Long-term Energy Sector Planning (under the leadership of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority): In 2024, the Component will focus on capacity building for units under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, EVN and relevant parties. One of the outstanding activities is the development and publication of the Vietnam Energy Outlook Report - Pathway to Net Zero Emissions (EOR-NZ) in June 2024. The report provides scenarios for the development of Vietnam's energy system to 2050 and pathways to achieve the commitment to net zero emissions.

Component 2 - Capacity building for renewable energy integration into the power system (led by the Electricity Regulatory Authority): In this component, the project has organized activities to enhance the capacity for flexible, safe and efficient power system operation to support the energy sector transition towards increasing the proportion of renewable energy sources integrated into the power system. Some notable activities include research on enhancing the flexibility of coal-fired thermal power plants, training courses on cyber security and discussions on other related topics, such as: enhancing regulatory compliance of renewable energy plants, regulations for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations, etc.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Lam Giang - Director of Department of Energy Saving and Sustainable Development

Component 3: Low-carbon development in the industrial sector (led by the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development): The component implements many activities, notably the pilot program of the Voluntary Agreement on Energy Efficiency and Conservation for Energy-intensive Industries (VAS Program). The pilot VAS program has initially brought many positive signals, identifying a number of projects in a number of industrial establishments with investment potential to improve energy efficiency in 2025.

In addition, with the support of Danish experts, the project has completed a number of technical reports such as the Energy Efficiency Technology Handbook, Technical Guidelines for Building Energy Audit Reports, Economic and Technical Analysis Reports for Building Pre-Feasibility and Feasibility Project Research Reports, and Guidelines for Building Documents for Accessing Financial Sources for Energy Efficiency Projects. The research and proposal of the Energy Efficiency Center of Excellence (CoE) model has been initially implemented to propose, recommend and transfer this model to Vietnam in 2025.

Mr. Tang The Hung - Deputy Director of Electricity and Renewable Energy Department

Also within the framework of the meeting, the Program Steering Committee discussed the implementation plan and solutions for the DEPP3 Program in the remaining period of 2025-2026 to ensure quality, efficiency and some major orientations in proposing and building a cooperation program in the coming time. The two sides reaffirmed their commitment to close cooperation to achieve the goals of the Program.

The DEPP3 programme is an important cornerstone in the strategic partnership between Vietnam and Denmark in the energy sector, aiming to support Vietnam in achieving its green and sustainable transition goals, including its commitment to achieving net zero emissions by 2050.

The Vietnam-Denmark Energy Partnership Programme 2020-2025 (DEPP3) is a technical assistance project funded by the Danish Government , managed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and managed by the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development. The programme supports Vietnam in developing a low-carbon development roadmap, with components focusing on the following areas: Long-term energy sector planning, Renewable energy integration into the power system and Low-carbon development in the industrial sector.

Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/hoat-dong/hoat-dong-cua-lanh-dao-bo/hop-ban-chi-dao-chuong-trinh-hop-tac-doi-tac-nang-luong-viet-nam-dan-mach2.html