Vietnam’s wind power push comes with environmental risks

BAC LIEU, Vietnam – Near the southern tip of Vietnam lies Bac Lieu province, with its entire 56km coastline dotted with wind farms. The fishing and manufacturing hub is one of Vietnam’s renewable-energy pioneers as the country tries to reduce its reliance on coal and gas.

Bac Lieu began its sustainability journey in 2016 when it turned down a planned 3,600-megawatt (MW) coal power plant. Today, it has 10 wind farms – including two under construction – that account for about 660MW of wind power capacity. Eight of these wind farms are nearshore – no more than six nautical miles (about 11km) from shore. The other two are inland. There are no offshore wind power projects planned in Bac Lieu.