"Vietnam must develop energy in a sustainable manner. Energy development must go along with energy conservation and carbon dioxide (CO2) emission reduction." Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Bich Dat said so at the meeting that was held to report the results of the eighth Vietnam-France Economic and Financial Forum themed "Energy and Sustainable Development" that took place recently in Hanoi.
Presently, energy production in Vietnam is based mostly in fossil resources such as coal and gas. This is one of the reasons to explain increased emissions of CO2 in Vietnam. Moreover, fossil fuel extraction and transportation, the transformation of such fuels into electricity and the efficient use of electricity in Vietnam are all fraught with limitations. Many electrical plants in Vietnam use technology and equipment from the 1970s. When transporting electricity, about 20 percent was lost in 1995 while in 2008 about 9.35 percent was lost. Electricity use in Vietnam is wasteful because of inefficiency and the use of outdated equipment. The amount of electricity used per unit produced in Vietnam is relatively high which in part accounts for high production cost.
CO2 emissions in Vietnam are 1.4 tonnes per person per year while in France the number is six tonnes per person per year and in the US it’s 20 tonnes per person per year. However, Henri Prevot, an energy specialist, said, "If economic growth in Vietnam continues at its present rate, the gap in CO2 emissions between Vietnam and other countries will shrink in the next 10 to 15 years." In the past 20 years, CO2 emissions in Vietnam have increased about five percent.
At the eighth Vietnam-France Economic and Financial Forum, electricity production and utilization were among the subjects discussed.
The efficient use of electricity and energy conservation are a concern of all parties. Most businesses in Vietnam are small to medium in size and a local concern is increasing efficiency in terms of electricity consumption per unit of product produced. When ceramic tile, wood product, paper factories, pulp mills, food and textile-garment companies were surveyed it was found that they could all use electricity much more efficiently. In France, many local governments have turned the provision of what were public services - essential services such as electricity and water provision, garbage collection, city drainage and public building maintenance - over to private companies. These are large companies that guarantee the provision of the essential service, and they do it cost effectively using modern equipment which uses a relatively small amount of electricity. Mr. Dat said, "This is a good way to save energy, and we could do this here in Vietnam." Within the framework of the eighth Vietnam-France and Financial Forum, the French side did sign a contract with the city of Can Tho to provide essential services for this city in a manner which will be energy efficient and with reduced CO2 emissions.
Regarding CO2 emission reduction, Christian Jacob, the mayor of Provins, France, and the person who co-presided over the eighth Vietnam-France Economic and Financial Forum, said, "New processes such as CO2 collection and storage techniques can be used in Vietnam. It is absolutely certain that Vietnam is capable of developing these techniques."
Vietnam has great potential to develop renewable energy resources, especially biomass energy. Developing environmentally friendly energy resources is an effective way to reduce CO2 emissions and ensure energy security. One important thing is that electricity use charges must be maintained at a level that is favorable to develop potential energy resources.
Regarding nuclear power, at the forum the French presented their experience with nuclear power production from uranium production to electricity generation. Mr. Jacob said, "Recently Vietnam and France signed a framework agreement to cooperate in the field of nuclear power production. This agreement includes the matter of training Vietnamese people to work with this type of energy by way of sending French teachers to Vietnam."
"In some countries, nuclear power plants produce a large percentage of the country's electricity. In France, for example, it's nearly 80 percent. Vietnam needs nuclear power and to get it Vietnam needs to 1) make the public aware that the country needs to produce nuclear energy, 2) ensure people that it is absolutely safe and 3) find the rather large amount of money that is required to get such a project off the ground," Mr. Dat said.