Project title: “Building an Energy Alliance & Network for Sustainable Energy Development in Vietnam and the Mekong Region”
Project goal and objectives:
- The project’s long-term goal is to enhance sustainable energy development in Vietnam and the Mekong Region by promoting sustainable energy policies, context-relevant local energy planning, demand side management practices and renewable energy generation for sustainable usage.
- Three specific objectives:
- To develop an energy alliance of non-state actors with capacity to engage in policy dialogue and development and to facilitate of sustainable energy planning and technology application.
- To facilitate the application of a context-relevant local energy planning methodology at district and provincial levels in Vietnam, which enables more efficient and sustainable energy use and options for local generation of sustainable energy with multiple benefits.
- To promote participatory and decentralised energy planning and sustainable energy policy development.
Partners:
- Centre for Sustainable Water Resources Development and Adaptation to Climate Change (CEWAREC)
- The Swedish Society for Nature Conservation (SSNC)
- Sustainable Energy (SE)
Expected outcomes and main activities
1. Objective 1
1.1. GreenID, SSNC, SE, CEWAREC have established the energy alliance.
- Formulate and sign a formal memorandum of understanding (MOU) with a commitment of 5 year cooperation
- Develop a 5-year action plan for development and implementation of sustainable energy solutions (based on local natural resources and local participation, enabling the Vietnamese stakeholders to improve their living standards with regards to health, economy and environmental conservation).
1.2. The energy alliance has gained capacity to lead the application and replication of integrated local resource planning (ILRP) tool and local energy planning process in other areas in Vietnam and engage in policy advocacy.
- Conduct an assessment of the energy policy and planning framework, including an analysis of the independent power producers’ access to the power grid, tariffs. Update annually.
- Conduct review study of national, provincial, and sectoral GHG emissions and the government’s emissions scenarios.
- Conduct energy policy training workshop for potential energy alliance members and partners.
1.3. The energy alliance has developed to include more members such as VRN, the MsG-CCWG, CEC, mass organisations (Farmers Union and Women’s Union), MeeNet, and other key stakeholders
- Organise study tour to Thailand (ATA, Surin, Energy Ashram, etc.) for core group Energy Alliance members (combined with activity under Result 2.2.).
- Training on the ILRP and LEP tools and methodologies for task force.
- Establish and strengthen networks and partnerships with energy NGOs and institutions in the region (and Africa) – e.g. Thai Energy Ministry, Dr. Twarath.
- Identification of potential partnerships and funding opportunities in Vietnam, the region, Denmark, and Sweden with NGOs and private sector and partnership building for promotion of the IRPL tool for local energy planning in Vietnam.
- Conduct study tour to Sweden for core member of the Energy Alliance on renewable energy, climate change, and energy policy advocacy.
- Conduct a project development and fundraising workshop (for development of other sustainable energy projects).
1.4. The energy alliance has developed to include more members such as VRN, the MsG-CCWG, CEC, mass organisations (Farmers Union and Women’s Union), MeeNet, and other key stakeholders
- Organise workshops, results dissemination, using our existing projects as channels for promoting the alliance.
- Making a “membership charter” that the stakeholders can sign committing to work for common goals and receiving assistance and training from the alliance
2. Objective 2
2.1. A Vietnam context-relevant local energy planning methodology for district have been developed and tested.
- Identify and select pilot province and conduct field visit to this province to establish partnership with local stakeholders and collect data. Based on experiences from Thailand and Mozambique, the Local Energy Planning concept is applied to the Vietnamese context, based on the local culture, needs and priorities, available resources and political/administrative system.
- Task force working group meetings to adapt the LEP methodology for Vietnam context and plan for implementing LEP in the selected province.
- Conduct introduction workshops (on the ILRP tool and LEP and the multiple benefits of sufficient and sustainable energy use and local generation) for local authorities and stakeholders in the selected province.
2.2. A local energy action plan for one district developed, specifying a future alternative energy scenario for and single technologies for various levels (household to district) and users (households, public agencies, private production businesses).
- Conduct assessment of household (hh) level energy use: volume, sources, and costs (demand side).
- Develop village level energy demand maps by combining small-scale production demand mapping with the household data (translate hh data to village level).
- Develop commune level energy demand map by combining the village level energy maps with a mapping of the energy use of the public and private businesses at commune level.
- Develop a district level energy demand map by combing the commune level energy maps with a mapping of the energy use of the public and private businesses at district level.
- Survey the extent and type of natural resources available, e.g. of biomass from e.g. rice husks and water resources etc., for local energy production.
- Comprised of local plans and resource mappings from communes and communities
2.3. The People’s Committees in the selected district and province and other key government stakeholders, selected private production companies, and local communities have increased awareness about efficient and sustainable energy use and technology options for local generation of sustainable energy.
- Organise a study tour to Thailand (ATA, Surin, Energy Ashram, and Ministry of Energy) for representatives from local government and mass organisations and other (combined with activity under Result 1.3.).
- Mobilise and facilitate participation of these stakeholders throughout the development of the ‘Status energy balance’ and future scenarios: “Business as Usual” + Alternative scenarios.
- Conduct a number of workshops on LEP and lessons learned (after the local energy action plan has been drafted) and future perspectives for sustainable energy work in the x province and 1 district (maybe organise jointly with a key provincial partner of national energy stakeholder/peer review).
2.4. At least 8 pilot technologies/options for sufficient and sustainable energy use for various uses and levels (household, village/cluster of villages, commune and district) are introduced, adopted and implemented by the local people
- Develop a business as usual (BAU) scenario and future alternative energy scenarios (based on an alternative future energy balance).
- Develop options, including single technologies, for sufficient and sustainable energy use for various uses and levels (household, village/cluster of villages, commune and district), based on status energy balance. This should include a calculation and estimation of economic and environmental consequences and consequences for employment and sensitivity analyses for single technologies
- Conduct calculations of different mixes of single technologies in alternative future energy systems and choices of best mixes to present to local stakeholders, so they can choose the future alternatives
- Based on the above help the local stakeholders to develop local energy action plans.
- Assist in local implementation of the plans, and monitor and evaluate the effects.
- Based on the local energy action plans, combined with larger industries, and district level services and administration, a district Energy plan will be developed in close cooperation with District authorities and Mass organisations.
2.5. The local energy planning methodology is replicated to other districts in the province and integrated in the provincial energy planning process and replicated to at least one more province
- Through a pilot period (first 2 years) the methodology will be applied, evaluated and modified in one district, in order to create a common tool for decentralised sustainable planning in Vietnam. The methodology will then be further promoted in other districts (year 3-5), and developed with a long-term goal of provincial planning.
- Further activities will be elaborated by the end of 2013 for the period of 2014-2016
3. Objective 3
3.1. The energy alliance has engaged in the development/revision process of at least one key sustainable energy policy.
- Conduct in-depth policy analysis of major policy gaps and opportunities for advocacy of sustainable energy/RE policy development.
- Develop an advocacy strategy for the energy alliance targeting a selected energy policy development (such as decree on Renewable Energy) and engage in this process.
- Develop policy briefs.
3.2. The Energy Alliance has initiated policy dialogue and exchanges between the Vietnamese government and the energy alliances and other non-state actors
- Initiate relations building with key national energy policy stakeholders and start to engage in policy dialogues and targeted policy advocacy.
- Conduct study tour for government and related staff of committees under National Assembly to learn experiences from Sweden
- Conduct annual round table discussions and dialogues on sustainable energy development since 2012.
3.3. (Targeted) policy dialogue continued and expanded to include members of the Energy Coalition and by bringing in evidence from the LEP pilots and independent energy analysis conducted by the Energy Alliance/Coalition.
3.4. The energy alliance has facilitated non-state actor participation in the PDP process at both local and national level.
3.5. The Energy Coalition acts as the Vietnamese focal point in regional networks, forums, and mechanism regional energy policy programmes, dialogues, and mechanism (the GMS/ADB, MRC etc.)
- The activities under these results are longer term (2013-2016) and detail plan for 2014-2016 will hence be identified at the end of the first phase, 2013.
- The activities under these results are longer term (2014-2016) and will hence be identified at the end of the first phase, 2013.
Duration of the project: five year program from March 2012 to December 2016
