President of Vestas Asia Pacific: 'Vietnam can be regional leader in wind industry'

Vestas ASP, the energy industry’s global partner on sustainable energy solution, recently signed a new memorandum of understanding aimed to accelerate wind farm development in Huong Linh, the area of Huong Hoa Commune in Quang Tri province.

TheLEADER had a private interview with Clive Turton about the potential of wind industry development in Vietnam and its plan in this market.

How do you assess Vietnam's ability to develop wind industry in the coming years?

Clive Turton: Vietnam is one of the luckiest countries in the region with wind potential of about 50,000MW and in an era of increasingly advanced technology, this figure could be much larger in the future.

The capacity of this year is 50,000MW but next year, it can be upgraded to 60,000MW, which creates a great opportunity for foreign investors and local developers.

In my opinion, Vietnam has the opportunity to become a regional leader in wind power development because it owns a large amount of natural energy.

Vietnam also has a young and mobile workforce as well as many start-up businesses with smart local investors and potential foreign investors.

Are land scale and the stability of energy sources big issues when conducting wind power projects?

Clive Turton: Vestas started developing the wind power industry in the 1970s and now is one of the leading corporations in this field. We offer new products and solutions to the market through the development of the most advanced technologies.

In terms of land, we do not require much more land than thermal or hydropower projects. Finding land for wind energy projects is actually much easier as local people feel more comfortable to live next to a wind power project than a thermal power project.

The stability is a question addressed by investors and researchers in this field. With Vestas, this is not a big problem as we have experience in stabilizing energy sources through technological and technical measures.

In order to develop the wind industry in Vietnam, what are your suggestions?

Clive Turton: I think Vietnam market can go further if investors see a clear future for their project revenue.

In addition, clean energy development policies in Vietnam need to be made more clear and transparent for investors and developers.

Could you tell us more about Vestas's current investment projects and future prospects in the field of wind industry in Vietnam?

Clive Turton: We have developed six projects in Vietnam and plan to work with partners on a number of new projects. I expect Vestas will develop another six projects next year.

I am not sure about the certain amount of investment but Vestas will invest as much as possible. We will contribute to promote Vietnam's wind energy development through local solutions, local products and local jobs.

The wind industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the world and as we build wind farms in Vietnam, we try to understand the local area, the technology, the network and the technology experts of Vietnam.

Thank you!