Authorities in the southern province of Dong Nai have proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade consider adding eight local solar power projects on Tri An lake to the national power development plan by 2025.

A corner of Tri An Lake (Photo: baodongnai.com.vn) 

Spanning over 7,100 ha of water surface across different districts, these projects are estimated to have total capacity of generating 5,400 MWp.

 Vo Tan Nhan, director of the Tri An hydropower company, said the new facilities will help tap the area’s potential for renewable energy, cut electricity losses and ease power shortages during peak times, particularly in dry season.

 However, the environmental impact of the projects must be considered, as Tri An lake supplies 70 percent of water demand in Vietnam’s southeast region.

 Tri An, a man-made lake that stores water for the Tri An Power Plant in Dong Nai, has a total area of 323sq.km.

 By the end of June 2019, Vietnam had 89 wind and solar power plants with combined capacity of 5,038MW, accounting for 9.5 percent of the country’s total power capacity.

 Renewable energy experts said the country’s central and southern regions have potential to develop rooftop solar systems with solar radiation of 4.2 to 4.8kWh per sq.m per day.