A technical assistance and training programme under the Vietnam Clean Energy Programme, which is funded by the US Agency for International Development (USAID), was inaugurated in Hanoi on May 6.
Addressing the launch ceremony, Deputy Minister of Construction Phan Thi My Linh commended USAID’s support for the programme and expressed her hope that the project would help the country better utilise energy sources and save energy in the building sector.
Implementation will be co-ordinated by the Ministry of Construction and the municipal and provincial departments of construction in Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Hai Phong, Nghe An and Thanh Hoa, as well as by universities, institutions and building developers.
The programme is intended to provide technical assistance and training to officials and other relevant parties in the building sector. The technical assistance is expected to enhance beneficiaries’ capacity to manage, analyse and utilise building energy data; to establish a database on building energy efficiency; and to implement the Vietnam Building Energy Efficiency Code (VBEEC), which is in line with Vietnam’s Green Growth Action Plan for the building sector. The programme will also promote the VBEEC and green building technologies by examining market incentives and energy demand management practices.
In the long term, the programme is intended to support sustainable growth by reducing greenhouse gas emissions through more efficient usage of electricity in the building sector.
“Vietnam’s aspiration for green growth depends on more efficient uses of electricity, which lower costs for consumers, facilitate innovation, and lessen Vietnam’s need for fossil fuel burning electricity production”, noted USAID Vietnam Mission Director Joakim Parker.
At the launch event, representatives from the private sector joined in a panel discussion on how to promote energy efficient technologies and possible market incentives for energy efficiency and green buildings. They also made recommendations on access to financing for building construction that meets energy-saving standards.
Source : nhandan online