USAID and Ho Chi Minh City’s Department of Industry and Trade Celebrate Advances in Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency

Ho Chi Minh City, May 17, 2024 – Today, the United States Mission to Vietnam, through the U.S.  Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Ho Chi Minh City (HCMC) Department of Industry and Trade (DOIT), celebrated their joint success in a five-year partnership advancing renewable energy and energy efficiency in HCMC.

At an event held in HCMC, representatives from both governments and the private sector came together to mark the close of USAID’s Vietnam Urban Energy Security project and highlight key results achieved since 2019. Among the participants were Deputy Principal Officer Anne Benjaminson of the U.S. Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City, USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Aler Grubbs, and leadership of the HCMC Department of Industry and Trade and the HCMC Department of Natural Resources and Environment.

“Our partnership with HCMC through USAID’s Vietnam Urban Energy Security project has helped to advance the city’s clean energy transition,” said USAID/Vietnam Mission Director Aler Grubbs. “We applaud HCMC for its visionary clean energy plans, which serve as a model for how cities across Vietnam can improve energy security, increase environmental resilience, and advance net-zero emissions goals.”

With more than $11 million in funding through USAID’s Vietnam Urban Energy Security project, USAID and HCMC DOIT partnered to facilitate energy efficiency gains and develop and deploy new sources of renewable energy. Specific results include:

• The development of the city’s Net Zero Emission Strategy and its implementation roadmap, accompanied by a strategy to expand clean and new energy sources. These strategies will be vital to guide the city’s renewable energy and energy efficiency efforts in the years to come.
• Organizing the first-ever Energy Efficiency Award program in Ho Chi Minh City to recognize high energy-consuming enterprises for their energy efficiency performance and achievements.
• Mobilizing $4.2 million in investment capital for clean energy developers and start-ups for their projects on green hydrogen, battery energy storage systems, electric motorbikes, and electric transportation systems.
• Training more than 500 staff of key financial institutions on advanced financial instruments like green bonds and clean energy investments to facilitate lending for clean energy projects; and training nearly 200 government officials, energy managers, and technical managers to promote adoption of energy efficiency policies and measures.
• Establishing an Innovation Challenge Fund which provided grants to seven innovative solutions to address urban energy and environmental issues in the city, enabling innovators to bring their cutting-edge ideas to life. These solutions include a Smart Air Compressor Control System, a Battery Energy Storage System, a Smart EVN Software Solution application, an Electric Motorbike Charging Service Solution, High-Efficiency Ceiling Fans, High-Pressure Condensate Recovery Solutions for Boilers, and a Smart Water Supply System Solution for Industrial Production Facilities.

The United States is a committed partner of Vietnam in advancing the country’s transition to a clean, secure, and market-based energy sector, in line with our two countries’ shared priorities under the Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. To learn more, visit: https://www.usaid.gov/vietnam/climate-change-energy-and-environment. For media inquiries, contact Nguyen Thac Phuong, Communications Specialist at USAID/Vietnam; Tel: 0977 253 071; Email: phuongnguyen@usaid.gov

For photos from today’s event and project photos, visit: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBqmBL