On the morning of April 6, at the headquarters of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, the leadership of this department had a meeting with representatives of the World Bank (WB) to seek investment capital for public sector energy efficiency projects.

Attendants included the director of the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, Luu Tien Long, and representatives from the WB, the Energy Conservation Office of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Hanoi Energy Conservation Office.

At the meeting, Mr. Luu Tien Long delivered a presentation concerning the public sector’s potential for energy conservation in Hanoi. Since it began to implement the National Energy Efficiency and Conservation Program, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has coordinated with the National Energy Conservation Office to carry out energy conservation projects at central buildings and companies. Many conferences and workshops have been organized to disseminate information and introduce new technology to businesses and individuals. In the public sector, the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade has carried out some small projects, which include replacing the lighting system at schools, hospitals and public buildings with energy-efficient lamps. To date, 60 percent of Hanoi’s street lighting systems have been replaced with energy-efficient bulbs.

Mr. Luu Tien Long also presented five public sector energy conservation projects: installing a public lighting system on Hanoi’s streets; building a rural lighting system in Hanoi’s Soc Son, Dong Anh and Tu Liem districts; replacing the lighting system at State offices; building a biogas power generation plant that uses waste from slaughter-houses, and building a biogas power generation plant using waste that is derived from fuels in Ba Vi district. Investment in these five projects is estimated to total nearly VND500 billion.

The representative from the WB said he came to Vietnam to survey its potential for energy conservation and to assist the implementation of energy conservation projects in big cities including Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City and Hue. He said that the WB pays special attention to public sector energy conservation projects. The above five projects, in his opinion, are feasible. He pledged that after receiving detailed plans from the Hanoi Department of Industry and Trade, the WB will provide these projects with long-term loans at preferential interest rates so that the projects can be implemented on schedule. Both sides appeared to be satisfied with the results of the meeting and expressed their hope for the successful long-term cooperation in the field of energy conservation.

By Tran Lieu