The coastal areas get strong wind flow throughout the year and this is a very good thing for wind turbines as fast-paced winds are what is needed by them to do their job perfectly. The Southeast Asian country of Vietnam is a perfect place with perfect conditions to support a wind turbine plant because it gets such good offshore winds and for that reason, Vietnam offshore wind turbine plants are on the minds of EU manufacturers.
European manufacturers are thinking of shelling out no less than hundreds of millions of dollars to build a wind turbine plant in Vietnam so that its enormous gift and largely untapped potential can be bought to use. Because of the strong wind that the country sees in its shallow water near coastal and densely populated, Vietnam is eyed as a potential major player as per the World Bank Group.
Three sources from the industry in exchange for anonymity named Danish turbine maker Vestas as one of the potential investors. They are into the production of blades, generators, and nacelles. However, since the matter was confidential even they refused to respond. While locations like sites near ports are being eyed, talking to local authorities and other concerned parties is also important. Simultaneously the investors also wait to get clarity on the rules of how to go about an offshore farm.
It’s not something new as attempts have been made in the past by the government to tap into the offshore wind sector and make use of it but so far nothing has come to fruition and even the recent attempt is expected to meet a dead end at least for now. Whether the project goes ahead or not remains to be seen but the interest of manufacturers in picking Vietnam for the project was the right move considering its industrial strength as well as the country’s proximity to offshore wind markets in East Asia.
Also Read: Basic Principle of Wind Energy Conversion
Since Vietnam offshore wind turbine plants are on the minds of EU manufacturers, Bruno Jaspaert, who is the director of an industrial zone in northern Vietnam named DeepC said, “We expect important investments to be decided this year by major global players in the offshore wind sector for the manufacturing of wind turbine components and Vietnam stands a good chance to welcome these.”
On the other hand, Erik Kjaer of the Danish Energy Agency said, “It would make sense to invest because of the country’s strong steel output.” The statement came at a wind conference in Hanoi and it was noted that China and Taiwan would be strong competition for these ambitious plans seeing the light of day.
Source: Reuters
