Field survey – an indispensable foundation for offshore wind power development

In the process of developing the clean energy industry, offshore wind power (OWP) is expected to become a new pillar of national energy security. However, to turn wind potential into reality, the first and most important step is field survey. This is not only a technical step but also the foundation to ensure the accuracy, transparency and feasibility of the entire project. Realizing that, the Vietnam National Energy Industry Group (Petrovietnam) with its extensive experience in marine surveying and modern technological capacity is pioneering the implementation of wind, geological, meteorological, and hydrographic survey programs... to serve the development of offshore wind power, contributing to the realization of Vietnam's green energy strategy.

Risk management for GHG projects

In the context of Vietnam aiming to develop GHG into a spearhead energy industry, the field survey stage has emerged as a decisive step, deciding the success or failure of the project. Not only a technical procedure, the field survey is the "foundation" to determine the scale, technology, structural solutions, pier foundation location, transmission cable route - the core elements that make up the preliminary design and pre-feasibility study report (PreFS) according to legal regulations. The pre-feasibility study report plays an important role in determining the feasibility of investment activities of any project. This article presents a comprehensive, multi-dimensional and concise assessment of the mandatory necessity of preliminary field survey work in this stage. Based on legal regulations, international practices and purposes of use, the establishment of PreFS based only on secondary data, satellite data or low-resolution available data (desktop study) is not sufficient, has high potential risks and reduces the competitiveness of the project. The assessment results confirm that field surveys at the PreFS stage are not a cost but a strategic investment to manage risks, provide reliable economic and technical arguments, and are a prerequisite for competent state agencies to decide to approve investment policies and select investors effectively. According to the provisions of the Construction Law, Investment Law and Electricity Law, the PreFS report with economic and technical explanations, preliminary designs and drawings is the basis for state agencies to approve investment policies, determine electricity prices and important documents to serve as the basis for selecting investors.
An investor selection bidding process is, in essence, a market mechanism designed to achieve two objectives: efficient resource allocation (selecting the best qualified investor) and obtaining optimal prices (finding the most competitive and reasonable electricity price). The effectiveness of this mechanism depends entirely on the quality and symmetry of the information provided to the participants. Using a PreFS report based solely on secondary data, data available with high uncertainty and inaccurate quality levels will break this fundamental principle, create an asymmetric information environment and lead to strategic but ineffective bidding behaviors, causing unpredictable negative consequences, bringing unfavorable results to the state, and holding back the development of the entire sector.
In countries and territories that have developed the offshore wind power industry such as the UK, Denmark, Norway, Taiwan (China), Japan or South Korea, field surveys are always considered a prerequisite in the "phased risk management" process in developing offshore wind power projects. The case of Mitsubishi having to withdraw from three offshore wind power projects with a total capacity of more than 1.7 GW in Japan because the actual costs after the survey far exceeded the initial assumptions is a great lesson to learn. In fact, only when there is reliable field survey data, can the bidding parties offer a realistic electricity price, avoiding the phenomenon of "optimistic bidding" or "risk premium" that distorts the electricity price and makes the project difficult to be financially viable. In other words, early surveys are not a cost, but a strategic investment to manage risks and ensure market transparency. Therefore, providing a reliable field survey data platform is not an option, but a prerequisite to ensure the accuracy of economic and technical factors at the initial stage and the transparency, fairness and efficiency of the bidding process, thereby being able to select the right investor capable of realizing the project at optimal cost and reasonable electricity price to ensure efficiency for the economy.

Petrovietnam pioneers in surveying and preparing the foundation for developing GNK
The GHG project faces many challenges and uncertainties: from the marine environment, to the scattered foundations over a large area, to the variable nature of the resource. If surveying is already a necessary condition for a less risky project (such as gas-fired power projects, coal-fired power projects…), then requiring a rigorous survey process for a much more complex project is not a new burden, but the inevitable and consistent application of project development principles.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh , Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim and Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong witnessed the signing ceremony of a development cooperation agreement between leading energy corporations of the three countries on exporting renewable electricity from Vietnam to Malaysia and Singapore.

With a tradition of construction and development over the past half century, Petrovietnam is holding a special advantage in implementing marine surveys to serve the development of renewable energy, especially offshore wind power. Petrovietnam's member unit PTSC is currently the only unit in Vietnam licensed and conducting field surveys for offshore wind power projects exporting electricity to Singapore and Malaysia - a strategic step to affirm the national capacity in the new value chain. In parallel, Petrovietnam is actively researching and coordinating with competent authorities to standardize the process of marine geological and geophysical surveys, in conjunction with international partners to form a standard data set for planning and developing domestic offshore wind power projects. Based on the oil and gas sector database, infrastructure, equipment and confirmed capacity, Petrovietnam is ready to conduct surveys and provide data to management agencies in preparing bidding documents, thereby shortening investment preparation time and improving project feasibility. This is not only a step demonstrating the Group's pioneering role in the new energy industry, but also a practical contribution to national energy security and Vietnam's Net Zero 2050 commitment.

Petrovietnam and CIP to award joint offshore wind development agreement on August 22, 2025

From international experience and practice in Vietnam, it can be affirmed that field surveys are a mandatory condition to ensure fairness, transparency and efficiency in the selection of offshore wind power investors. The issuance of a set of minimum technical criteria for preliminary surveys will create a unified data base, helping bidding parties have equal information, limit legal risks and optimize costs for the economy. In particular, delaying surveys is not a cost-saving measure, but in fact an action that increases risks exponentially, which can affect the success or failure of the entire project. In the period when Vietnam is starting to develop the offshore wind power industry, Petrovietnam's proactive leadership in surveying, standardizing data, and forming a domestic capacity chain will be a decisive initial step to build a modern marine energy industry.

According to petrotimes.vn

Source: https://www.ptsc.com.vn/tin-tuc/tin-dau-khi-1/tin-pvn/khao-sat-thuc-dia--nen-tang-khong-the-thieu-cho-phat-trien-dien-gio-ngoai-khoi