Viet Nam has switched on a 330-megawatt (MW) solar farm in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, which makes it one of the largest solar farms in Southeast Asia. It is expected to generate 545 million kilowatt-hours of electricity per year.

A project of AC Energy, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ayala Corporation in the Philippines, and the BIM Group of Viet Nam, the $294 million solar farm in Thuan Nam district comprises three solar plants with installed capacities of 250 MW, 50 MW, and 30 MW.

The commissioning of the solar farm was held on April 27. On the same day, the first phase of the Trung Nam Group’s solar and wind power project in Thuan Bac district also came online.

Viet Nam has high potential for renewable energy generation, such as solar and wind. Its total technical potential for solar power generation is estimated at around 13,000 MW. The southern half of the country in particular enjoys relatively high solar irradiation levels. There are also suitable wind speeds in the southern coastal areas and offshore.

The government is placing stronger emphasis on renewable energy under the National Power Development Plan VII for 2016 to 2030. It has set targets for increasing the share of renewable sources in the energy mix.

Read the news reports from the AC Energy website and Vietnam Plus.