Mr. Le Huu Du, Deputy Director of Dong Thap Department Industry and Commerce, said that for the first time in Dong Thap Province, the overall energy consumption has been calculated in relation to social-economic development, thereby appropriate policies can be built for promotion of energy efficiency; while in the past this was only orally exhorted for and had never been achieved.

This was a prerequisite for building plans of sustainable development and more proper distribution of electric energy, thus overcoming the chronic shortage of electricity and helping businesses build a clear orientation for power efficiency so that they could reduce production costs and improve competitiveness.

Through the energy audit, a database of average energy consumption rates per product item in a number of industrial sectors such as seafood processing, food processing and ice production was developed.

Dong Thap Enterprise staff Exchange experience of Energy Efficiency implementation

Initial solutions only focused on improving and streamlining the existing equipment. This result was due to the fact that thorough assessments were made on a number of electric energy consuming technologies and equipment that many enterprises were using. Then, specific power saving solutions were worked and even equipment and technologies, including management technology, were renovated.

Mr. Vo Thanh Hai, Director of Cao Lanh Food Processing Enterprise, said that after seeking expert advice from Dong Thap Department of Trade, his enterprise streamlined production processes, limiting peak hours so as to reduce electricity costs. Initial results were very encouraging, as the average electricity price the enterprise had to pay was relatively low, about 731 VND/kWh.

If all the recommended solutions were implemented, the enterprise will be able to to save more than113 thousand kWh, an equivalent of about 85 million VND, and reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the environment by about 48 tons. Implementing solutions of electric-energy saving means that the enterprise can save expenditure and production costs, and improve competitiveness in the market.

The project also provides basic solutions to help businesses reduce electricity costs. Solutions include building energy management activities, installing inverters for fans in dehumidifiers, replacing windshield vans with wind flow regulating inverters, installing inverters in cooling fans, installing inverters in exhausting fans of course crushers, optimizing the performance of air compressor units, regulating air flow for steam boilers.

According to Mr. Mai Van, Deputy Director of the Center for Promotion and Development of Industry in Dong Thap, in implementing energy saving solutions, on average each business in the province can save nearly 500 thousand kWh of electricity and 500 tonnes of rice husk, equivalent to more than 1 billion VND. According to statistics, with the investment capital for energy saving solutions of around 550 million VND, after 6 months the enterprise can make the payback. Besides saving the production cost, each year the enterprise also contributes to reducing emissions of carbon dioxide into the environment by nearly a thousand tons.

By An Nguyen