Two workers clean solar panels of a solar power system of a family in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Vu Doan.

Vietnamese construction firm Xuan Cau and Thailand conglomerate B.Grimm have teamed up to build Southeast Asia’s largest solar power plant in Tay Ninh Province.

The signing of the joint venture agreement in Bangkok was witnessed by the prime ministers of both countries, the Nikkei Asian Review reported.

The $420 million, 420MW project is set to be commissioned in June 2019, said Preeyanart Soontornwata, CEO of the B.Grimm Power Public Company.

With Vietnam’s electricity demand growing significantly, B.Grimm estimates that the project will eventually account for 30 percent of the company’s total income.

Solar power currently accounts for 0.01 percent of the country’s total power output, but the government plans to increase the ratio to 3.3 percent by 2030 and 20 percent by 2050.

Vietnam depends largely on hydropower and thermal power plants for its electricity demands, but the projects have often drawn criticism from both local and international communities due to environmental concerns.

Vietnam is aiming to produce 10.7 percent of its electricity through renewable energy by 2030, mainly through solar and wind energy.

Earlier this month, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc told Reuters that Vietnam aimed to increase the number of households using solar energy from the current 4.3 percent to 26 percent by 2030.

Source: VnExpress