The People’s Committee of Tra Vinh province in the Mekong Delta region announced on Wednesday they have approved the VND1.06 trillion ($42.8 million) biomass power plant project investment project in Tra Cu District.
Le Van Han, the chairman of the province, confirmed the decision adding the Tra Vinh biomass power plant project will cover a land area of more than 11 hectares and 0.6 hectares of water surface.
Firms involved in the project are Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company 2, HCG Tra Vinh Energy Joint Stock Company, Son My Renewable Energy Joint Stock Company, and Ninh Thuan Agriculture & Renewable Energy Joint Stock Company.
The Mekong Delta plant will apply coal-fired condensate technology that runs 25 megawatts. The construction of the site will start in mid-2023 and is expected to be up and running in Q1 of 2025. The operation terms in the agreements say 49 years.
Being an agricultural country, Vietnam has very good biomass energy potential. And since biomass provides a clean, renewable energy source that could dramatically improve the environment, economy, and energy security, the construction of this power plant would raise the bar high.
Biomass is plant-based material used as fuel to produce heat or electricity — that includes wood and wood residues, energy crops, agricultural residues, and waste from industry, farms, and households. Vietnam is abundant with agricultural waste, with the Mekong Delta region generating approximately 50%. Rice husks are used as home fuel among the residents in the Mekong Delta region.
Rice husk and bagasse are the biomass resources with the greatest economic potential, estimated at 50 MW and 150 MW, respectively.
Biomass fuel sources that can also be developed include forest wood, rubber wood, logging residues, sawmill residues, sugar cane residues, bagasse, coffee husk, and coconut residues. And those materials are common agricultural wastes in the region, making the location of the power plant ideal.
Industry and businesses use biomass for several purposes, including space heating, hot water heating, and electricity generation. Many industrial facilities, such as lumber mills, naturally produce organic waste.