Vietnam’s $20.7b energy transition plan falls short: Environmentalists

HANOI - Vietnam has laid out a US$15.5 billion (S$20.7 billion) blueprint to transition away from coal power, but environmentalists have warned that the plan fell far short of what was needed.

The South-east Asian nation has committed to reaching net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, supported by

the Just Energy Transition Partnership programme,

under which wealthier nations would help developing countries switch to clean energy faster.

On Dec 1, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh announced the multibillion-dollar Resource Mobilisation Plan (RMP) on the sidelines of the COP28 climate talks in Dubai. “We commit to an open mechanism, good infrastructure and smart management,” he told delegates.

However, environmentalists told AFP that Vietnam’s intention to use coal-fired plants until the end of their life operations, as well as shrinking civil society space, prompted concerns.

Vietnam’s plan contained some “worrying” elements, chiefly the intention to use coal-fired plants “flexibly” rather than closing them early, said Mr Leo Roberts of environmental strategists EG3.

“What that means in practice is unclear, and is a slippery slope to using them extensively.”

He added that it sent a clear message the country was not transitioning as fast or at the scale it should, “and that discourages investment in renewables”.

Speaking on the phone from the sidelines of COP28, Mr Roberts told AFP that successful energy transitions required input from all sections of society.

“The lack of a clear, inclusive consultation process has limited the scale of ambition of the RMP,” said Mr Roberts.

Five environmentalists have been

jailed for tax evasion in Vietnam since 2022,

with an independent United Nations expert accusing Hanoi in November of targeting rights defenders. “The crackdown on civil society doesn’t just undermine the content of the RMP but also how easy it will be to actually deliver it,” said Mr Roberts.

Mr Andri Prasetiyo, a researcher at the Senik Centre Asia in Indonesia, agreed with Mr Roberts’ concerns.

“The Resource Mobilisation Plan is not realistic, it’s not really progressive enough,” he told AFP.

“The country is going to be giving a mixed signal towards renewable energy, which is definitely going to be dangerous.”

After China and India, Vietnam has the world’s third-largest pipeline of new coal power projects, remaining reliant on fossil fuel to power its fast-growing economy. AFP