Hanoi – September 14, 2016 – The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) in Viet Nam and the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) today to pursue cooperation and collaboration for sustainable bioenergy development in Viet Nam.

The LOI was signed by Ingmar Stelter, Director of MOIT/GIZ Energy Support Programme, and Adam Ward, GGGI’s Country Representative in Viet Nam, and formalized mutual collaboration and cooperation in the following areas:

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• Development of biomass waste-to-energy provincial planning
• Development of pre-feasibility studies for bagasse based CHP projects of sugar mills
• Assisting bankable bioenergy projects to access financing sources
• Green growth capacity development activities with a focus on energy
• Knowledge and experience sharing on policy, institutional frameworks and green growth strategy

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This cooperation falls under the framework of a Memorandum of Understanding signed in 2011 in which GIZ and GGGI committed to establish an active cooperation in combating global climate change and promoting green growth and sustainable development in developing countries.

Since 2008, GIZ has been working with the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) in Viet Nam to increase the utilization of renewables for electricity production and improve energy efficiency via three major action areas i) development and improvement of the regulatory framework to support the achievement of the strategic energy development targets ii) provision of capacity development to key stakeholders to facilitate renewable energy development iii) foster technology transfer between German and Vietnamese companies.

”This partnership will increase biomass-to-energy, reducing Viet Nam’s emissions from the power sector, the largest current and future emitting sector. This work will be crucial in Viet Nam’s transition to green growth and achievement of their Nationally Determined Contribution,” said Adam Ward.

The designed activities of GIZ align with the priorities of GGGI  to enable developing countries’ transition to a  green growth development path that supports economic growth that is socially inclusive, environmentally sustainable and reduces proverty. The collaboration between GIZ and GGGI on bioenergy is expected to bring synergy, facilitate knowledge sharing and optimization across the two institutions, and consequently enhance quality of the deliverables to MOIT.

Viet Nam has enjoyed rapid economic growth over the past twenty years, bringing about social improvements, but also raising new challenges. Therefore, in 2012 the Government adopted the ambitious Viet Nam National Green Growth Strategy (VNGGS) with a focus on reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions of the country’s economy and switching to alternative energy.

Collaboration between GIZ and GGGI via this LOI intends to assist the Government of Viet Nam in reaching its biomass energy targets. Tapping Viet Nam’s huge bioenergy potential will help not only reduce the dependency of Viet Nam on conventional energies, reduce carbon emission and environment pollution but also bring economic benefits to farmers who participate in the bioenergy value chain.

About the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)

Based in Seoul, GGGI is an intergovernmental organization founded to support and promote green growth. The organization partners with countries to help them build economies that grow strongly, are more efficient and sustainable in the use of natural resources, less carbon intensive, and more resilient to climate change. GGGI works with countries around the world, building their capacity and working collaboratively on green growth policies that can impact the lives of millions. To learn more about GGGI, see https://gggi.org and visit us on Facebook and Twitter.

About GIZ in Viet Nam

As a federal enterprise, The Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH supports the German Government in achieving its objectives in the field of international cooperation for sustainable development. GIZ has been working in Viet Nam since 1993 and is implementing 25 programmes and projects with a focus on three major priority areas: 1) Vocational Education and Training (TVET); 2) Environmental Policy, Conservation and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Biodiversity and Coastal Protection; 3) Energy. To learn more about GIZ, see www.giz.de/viet-nam and visit us on Facebook. To have more information about the GIZ Energy Support Programme, please see www.gizenergy.org.vn and visit us on Facebook or Youtube