Offshore wind farms in Vietnam – Bright path for the future
Wind energy resources are promising and superlative avenues in the renewable energy generation field, and one of the most significant technological innovations is offshore wind farms. To have more overview, MBWIND will help you review various issues related to wind-power generation resources as well as offshore wind farms in Vietnam, such as: What is wind power? What is offshore wind power? What is offshore wind farm? What are the advantages of offshore wind farms? What is offshore wind power potential in Vietnam? How have the offshore wind farms projects in Vietnam grown recently? How offshore wind farms in Vitenam grow in the future? And where is the quality reputation for operating & maintaining offshore wind farms in Vietnam?
Over the last two decades, the current global installation of offshore wind farms increased in turbine sizes, rated power generation capacity, efficiencies, and the actual size of offshore wind farm facilities are projected to continue.
In this regard to our country, Vietnam has an energetic and abundant offshore wind resource that is located close to demand centers and in relatively shallow water, areas further offshore, which have higher wind speeds and energy yields, which are favorable conditions for the development of offshore wind farms in Vietnam and becoming a blazing star in this field.
Learn more: Floating wind power – New wings of wind power technology
What is offshore wind farm?
Wind turbines can be used as stand-alone applications, but for economic reasons, like reducing planning, construction, operating and maintenance costs, and for utility-scale sources of wind energy, many offshore wind turbines are installed at the same time and in one location, connected into a grid of gargantuan offshore wind turbines or even combined with a photovoltaic (solar cell) system.
And then that is the so-called offshore wind farms in which a large number of wind turbines are usually built close together to form a wind plant. Many electricity providers today use offshore wind farms to supply power to their customers.
As a result, during the past few years, power taken from offshore wind has emerged as one of the most promising ways to attain increased energy sustainability.
To explain, the electric power produced by offshore wind turbines is transferred through cable arrangements to an offshore substation, where the voltage of the electric power is stabilized and maximized and then exported to shore. Through an onshore substation, the offshore electric power is added to the main electricity grid, schematically presenting a typical layout of an offshore wind farm, then supplied to the electricity network and meets the people’s needs.
Offshore wind power appears to be a useful and efficient source of energy to meet the universal goal for clean and cost-effective energy production. On the other hand, offshore wind energy will be expanded in the wake of oil shortages and environmental concerns, consequently, it will beyond doubt play an essential role in our future electricity generation.
What is the offshore wind power?
Humans have been harnessing the wind’s energy for hundreds of years ago by utilizing wind energy in the form of windmills to grind grain, pump water and cut wood at sawmills. In modern terms, wind turbines are the windmill’s modern equivalent – is a device used to generate clean, renewable electricity. Wind turbines are used as the mechanism to convert the kinetic energy in the wind into mechanical work and then into electricity through a generator.
Learn more: WIND ENERGY IN VIETNAM
Some superiority of offshore wind farms over onshore wind.
Offshore wind power promises to be an integral part of a clean, robust, and diversified energy portfolio. While onshore wind power infrastructure is cheaper and relatively easier to construct and maintain, there are many fundamental reasons why offshore wind power should be regarded as a long-term investment.
One of the advantages of an offshore wind farm over an onshore one includes the higher power potential due to higher average wind speeds, the possibility of large-scale wind turbine constructions, fewer noise, other social issues, and the scarcity of physical restrictions such as hills or buildings that could interrupt the wind flow. To better grasp, let’s notice two below main points:
- The first advantage of offshore wind power is that the average wind speed in the ocean is generally stronger and more consistent than onshore, which means that the offshore wind turbines will be able to operate more efficiently than the onshore ones. Furthermore, as there are no obstructions over the sea, the wind is less turbulent than onshore, which means that the fatigue effects on the turbine generator are less and therefore extend the life span of the turbines.
- The second advantage is that there are few arrangement constraints, since there is more free space available in the sea, offshore wind farms can be more versatile and scalable. It means that larger installations can be built in. Combining the absence of transport limitations, wind turbine generators can be larger in capacity than the onshore ones, achieving this way more energy production per turbine. Also, as the wind turbines are placed far from the coast, the visual noise and vibration impact on human activities significantly reduces.
Cost for Offshore wind farms
Despite the prospect of a bright future, offshore wind farms deployment is still facing challenges including high support structure costs, rental construction equipment costs, electrical infrastructure costs, turbine costs, operating & maintenance costs, and environmental standards.
Initial capital investment costs and operating & maintaining cost for offshore wind farms generally attract higher costs on account of the challenges associated with a harsher marine environment and existing deficiencies in design and construction technologies.
The foundation costs are significantly higher for offshore wind farms due to high water depth, stricter construction standards, and the costs of transmission lines between offshore farms and onshore grids, putting them at an economic disadvantage when compared with onshore wind farms. As a result, the design of offshore wind power farms, which include cable routes, locations of substations, and locations of turbines, can be crucial.
Naturally, the geographic characteristics highly affect the efficiency and economics of offshore wind farms. For example, the power generation output from a wind turbine is dependent on the wind speed and direction, which varies with the geographic location. In addition, the wake effect which affects wind speed should be considered in deciding turbine installation locations.
=> => Read more: “Wind power operation and maintenance service“
Offshore wind power potential in Vietnam
Statistics have shown that there are a large proportion of the bright future projection scenarios about the wind power as well as the strong growth of offshore wind power. Maybe it wouldn’t be wrong to say that Offshore wind power is the evolution of onshore as a way to maximize the capacity for power generation. On the other hand, exploiting offshore is considered the future of the wind power industry.
Joining this remarkable and striking development trend, Vietnam also has expanded investment into the offshore wind power field. As a promising sign, in recent years, Vietnam has emerged as one of the leaders in wind capacity as well as offshore wind farms among ASEAN countries.
Investors should be aware of the significant potential for renewable energy, especially wind capacity in Vietnam due to its geographic features and natural resources.
Vietnam has a favorable natural potential for wind capacity with a long coastline of 3,000 km stretching from north to south and winds that blow from 5.5 to 7.3 meters per second.
Located in the tropical monsoon area with a long coastline of more than 3200km, Vietnam has southwest monsoon winds blowing in the summer with its East Sea average wind speed in coastal areas is 4 – 5 m/s; In the offshore islands such as Co To, Bach Long Vi, Ly Son, Truong Sa, Hoang Sa, Phu Quy, Con Dao… it is possible to efficiently develop wind power with the average wind speed form 6 – 8 m/s per year.
Furthermore, Vietnam’s southern coastal area covers approximately 112000 km2 with about 142000 km2 of 30 – 60 m in depth as high potential for wind power development. Especially, the area of 0 -30 m depth from Binh Thuan to Ca Mau is about 44000 km2 with the average wind speed of 100m high reaching over 5 – 8 m/s according to Phu Quy and Con Dao wind data.
With favorable conditions as above, Vietnam has a large wind energy potential in comparison to other Southeast Asian countries. Action by Vietnam to expand its wind power capacity could result in a significant contribution to the sharply increasing renewable electricity demands.
The scenarios of Vietnam’s offshore wind farm projects
For many years, Vietnam has considered the development of marine economy (in general) and offshore wind energy (in particular) to be national strategic goals, because Vietnam has the most ambitious wind power development plan in ASEAN, with a target of 11,800 megawatts (MW) of wind power capacity by 2025.
This is not an exaggeration to say that is such an impressive number, which is about five times that of the Philippines (2378 MW) by 2030 and four times that of Thailand (3000 MW) by 2036.
As a result, offshore wind could play a significant role in sustainably meeting Vietnam’s rapidly growing electricity demand and has the potential to supply 12 percent of Vietnam’s electricity by 2035. By replacing coal-fired generation, this could save over 200 million metric tons of CO2 emissions and add at least US$50 billion to Vietnam’s economy by stimulating the growth of the offshore wind farms with a strong logistics network, constructing thousands of quality jobs, and exporting to other offshore wind markets around the world.
Renewable projects, as well as offshore wind farms in Vietnam, have attracted a reasonably high level of FDI and private-sector investment in recent years, implying their financial sustainability. The next investment wave is expected to feature far larger projects, particularly offshore wind projects along with the development of technology, the blooming of wind power installation support services, renting vehicle to transport heavy equipment for construction materials, wind turbines,… These typically have more generation capacity than solar or onshore wind plants.
Furthermore, Vietnam has made the development of renewable energy sources a priority on both environmental and energy policy grounds. But the implementation of those policies, at least in the field of wind energy use, has to take into account the protection of the environment. Thus, the Vietnamese Government has promulgated regulations related to environmental impact assessments, which are detailed in, among other sources the new Law on Environment and will be effective on January 1, 2022.
Vietnamese legislation—renewable energy Relevant legislation relating to offshore renewable energy can be noticed below.
On October 22, 2018, the Politburo of Vietnam passed Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW on the Strategy for Sustainable Development of Vietnam’s Marine Economy to 2030, with a vision to 2045 (Resolution No. 36-NQ/ TW). Resolution No. 36-NQ/TW11 was adopted at the 8th Plenum of the 12th Party Central Committee with general objectives by 2030 of turning Vietnam into a strong marine country and a specific goal of establishing criteria for sustainable development of the marine economy and that includes encouraging development offshore wind power industry. It sets out a vision to 2045 for Vietnam to become a powerful maritime country with prosperous, sustainable, safe and secure offshore development. This improved marine economy will make important contributions to the national economy, aiding in efforts to turn the country into a modern industrial nation with socialist orientation. Under this framework, Vietnam will proactively and responsibly participate in addressing international and regional issues on the sea and the ocean.
In addition to the policies embodied in the above Resolutions, the Vietnamese government has quickly introduced legal instruments and incentives to promote the development of offshore wind power projects.
To support the development of such projects, on June 29, 2011, the Prime Minister of Vietnam approved the Mechanism Supporting the Development of Wind Power Project and Vietnam’s Power Development Plan 8 (PDP VII) draft for the 2021-2030 period with a vision towards 2045.
As a result, the country’s framework for wind power development now includes planning at a national level and a provincial level, although provincial planning must be approved by the Prime Minister and the Minister of Industry and Trade, respectively. Wind power development planning will form a basis for outside investment and be adjusted in accordance with developing research and regular assessments of wind potential during any given period of time. One national wind power development plan and one provincial wind power development plan has been made for the period 2011 to 2020, with a vision to 2030, and will be adjusted and supplemented as necessary. After, the wind power development plans will be integrated into the provincial electricity development plan and the national electricity development plan.
Offshore wind power development is among the prioritized sectors in the Vietnamese Government’s plan to develop the national sea-based economy and implement national energy strategies to address energy security issues, because with increasing industrialization and economic development, energy consumption is expected to grow by even more than 8% each year between 2021 and 2030.
Document for offshore wind farms in Vietnam: “World Bank Offshore Wind Roadmap for Vietnam – World Bank”
As we mentioned before, Vietnam is blessed with over 3,000 km of coastline and has an energetic and abundant offshore wind resource that is propitious for originating wind power industry as well as offshore wind farms in Vietnam. Consequently, many international organizations gradually paying attention to Vietnam’s circumstances, and World Bank is one of them.
Access “Offshore Wind Roadmap for Vietnam” both in English and Vietnamese here:
To provide evidence to support the Government of Vietnam in establishing policy, regulations, processes, and infrastructure to enable successful growth of wind power industry, World Bank country team in Vietnam under the umbrella of the World Bank Group’s Offshore Wind Development Program and was funded by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP) published a document bout “Offshore Wind Roadmap for Vietnam”.
The roadmap not only suggests that the existing regulations, legislation, processes, and infrastructure need to be improved or developed to deliver the vision that is eventually set by the Government of Vietnam but also provides a series of recommended next steps to help create the conditions to establish and grow an industry.
This report is one of a series of offshore wind roadmap studies commissioned by the World Bank Group under the joint ESMAP-IFC Offshore Wind Development Program and sponsored by the Energy Sector Management Assistance Program (ESMAP).
MBWIND – The leader in supplying service to Windfarm Project
Recognizing the wind energy potential as well as the continue growing for the foreseeable future of offshore wind farms, MBWIND constantly researching and looking for the best solutions for the service construction, installation, operating and maintaining offshore wind farms in Vietnam.
As a global leader in the delivery solutions of offshore wind farms in Vietnam, MBWIND offers specialist foundation, offshore substation, submarine cable and wind turbine installation services and heavy transportation for the offshore wind farms sector. We support developers to bring sustainable, renewable energy through supplying, installing and commissioning the turbine, operation and maintenance turbine services, protection workers and staff on construction sites, and supplying Industrial auxiliary types of equipment.
Our products and services.
MBWIND provides a range of products and services through numerous commercial models:
- Transporting equipment to the site of work, lifting and lowering merchandise at the port and construction site.
- Making plans for site survey, procurement, arrange and preparing offshore wind farms structures
- Transporting and installation of offshore wind farms structures e.g. foundations, turbines, substations, and auxiliary equipment.
- Transport and installation of submarine cables and electrical system for the offshore wind farms.
- Installation and operating of modules and mechanical elements.
Read more: Our Offshore Wind Services – construction & installation
Why choose us? – MBWIND services
MBWIND has confidently become the most reputable, steadfast, and reliable choice of customers for operating and maintaining offshore wind farms in Vietnam. Because, in the process of management and working, MBWIND has made a deep impression on customers and affirmed its position in the field of wind power construction in general and building offshore wind farms in particular. We always:
Put the customers first:
We are highly confident in our promise to serve you better whenever you are here with MBIND.
Our deep comprehension of the insight of customers, whenever supply offshore wind farms services, we always provide the most optimal solution, along with a standard process of dedicated customer care, excellent customer service and attractive after-sales service.
Our focus is to build long term relationships with our customers, not merely a quick service!
Excellent service quality
MBWIND have established our own Quality Management System (QMS) for the production and development of instruments along with standardization of all development and production, management and communication processes which facilitates the information sharing around the organization.
We are always proud that our products and services meet the needs of our clients through an effective quality management system by holding ISO 9001:2015 certification and ISO 45001:2018 certification.
Professional and multilingual expert team
With professional expertise, well-trained, and a team of experts, long-time technical experts in the profession, MBWIND are committed to providing you with quality, safe and modern equipment and services.
We can overcome any language barrier with a great level of English, meeting communication needs in professional fields as well as consulting and providing information to customers.