Quang Ngai (VNA) – Vietnam has great potential for developing wind power butbig initial investment, technical complexity and a lack of quality technicians aredeterring the development of the sector.

At a workshop onwind power held in Hanoi on November 29, Ingmar Stelter, Director of the EnergySupport Programme between the Ministry of Information and Communications andthe German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ), said Vietnam has a long coastlinewith an estimated wind power capacity of 24GW.

However,the total capacity of Vietnam’s existing wind power farms has just reached 159.2MW.

Accordingto Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong, the main causes hinderingthe development of wind power are the high production cost while purchase pricesare low, which discourages investors.

Thedomestic supply sources for parts, equipment and services are lacking, as arequalified technicians.

Vuongsaid the Vietnamese government is continuing with efforts to perfect the legalframework and improve the organisational structure and management method in thewind power sector.

TheMinistry of Industry and Trade is revising wind power selling prices for facilitieson land and at sea in the direction of increasing the prices according to Decision37/2011/QD-TTg of the Prime Minister.

NaveenRaghavan Balachandran from Vesta, a Danish group specialising in manufacturingwind turbines and supplying related services, said the group will assistVietnam in training workers and technicians.

Healso suggested Vietnam revise its policy to attract private investors in thesector.

Accordingto the adjusted national power master plan for 2011-2020 with a vision to 2030,total wind power capacity is projected to reach 800 MW by 2020 (0.8 percent ofthe country’s power output), 2,000 MW (one percent) by 2025 and 6,000 MW (2.1percent) by 2030.-VNA