In the workshop ‘Management, an energy efficient solution in industry’ held on May 25, 2010 at the Giang Vo Exhibition and Fair Center (Hanoi), Vietnamese and Japanese specialists introduced to more than 150 participants a range of energy efficient solutions in industry, the largest energy consumer in the country that absorbs over 50 percent of national energy consumption level.

Cement is one of major energy consuming industries

Energy consumption level in local industry is 1.5-1.7 times higher than in other countries such as Thailand and Malaysia, according to estimates. For example, to produce a tonne of steel products from iron ores Vietnamese factories need to use 11.32 to 13.02 million Kcal while their counterparts in developed countries only use 4 million Kcal; similarly local factories must use 2.82 million Kcal for steel scrap processing against merely 2 million Kcal in developed countries.

Statistics released at the above-said workshop show heavy industries (cement, iron and steel, chemical and ceramic industries, etc.), light industries (consumer good production) and the food industry (frozen and processed items) have the potential to save more than 20 percent of their energy consumption level. Some other fields such as civil construction, transport and communications can save up to 30 percent of energy level similarly.

There are a number of both objective and subjective reasons leading to ineffective use of energy. However, blames must be put on less-than-modern technologies, obsolete equipment with low energy efficiency, a relatively high loss rate in power transmission, and most importantly the poor sense for energy conservation among the community.

The participants in the workshop assumed that a lot of solutions can be applied to raise energy efficiency in industry; among them energy management emerges as one of the best solutions as with good management the solutions once were applied could bring optimal effects. The energy would then be saved effectively to spur production and business.

Also in the workshop, the Energy Efficiency Office under the Ministry of Industry and Trade conferred awards on the winners of a competition on energy efficient labels design. The big competition has attracted 240 authors with 600 products vying for awards.

Addressing the workshop, deputy head of the Science and Technology Department and deputy chief of office at the Energy Efficiency Office (Ministry of Industry and Trade), Phuong Hoang Kim said after the Law on Energy Efficiency and Conservation is approved by the National Assembly, energy efficient labels will become a vehicle to aid the management of energy consuming products in the market and boost sales of energy efficient products, in the meantime promote the use of energy efficient products among local consumers.

By Huyen Anh