Vietnam PM Okays to Use Japan ODA for Pumped-storage Hydropower Project

Vietnam’s Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has agreed with state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the country’s sole power distributor, to allocate Japan’s official development assistance (ODA) for a hydropower project located in the central province of Ninh Thuan. The 1,200-megawatt Bac Ai pumped-storage hydropower plant, which closely follows the guidelines for environmental and social considerations by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), aims to enhance power supply in the central region. Pumped storage hydroelectricity (PSH) is one of renewable energy sources which help ease reliance on fossil. PSH is a type of hydroelectric energy storage used by electric power systems for load balancing. The method stores energy in the form of gravitational potential energy of water, pumped from a lower elevation reservoir to a higher elevation. Bac Ai is the first project of its kind in Vietnam. (Bnews.vn Jan 10, Baocongthuong.com.vn Jan 10)