Denmark Embassy Rewards Vietnam Craftsmen for Energy Saving

Danish Embassy to Vietnam has rewarded two households making pottery in Hanoi for using kilns that save energy and cut carbon dioxide emissions, the state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) said on its website. Ambassador Charlotte Laursen granted the prize worth VND270 million ($12,000) to two households in Kim Lan ceramics village in Gia Lam outlying district. The energy saving prize is an initiative in the Green Improvement Fund (GIF) launched since early 2015 by the Danish Embassy and the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade. Thanks to using gas-fueled kilns, Vu Van Hung household business saves as much as 77.98% of energy consumed and 89.9% of carbon dioxide emissions while Nguyen Van Lan-owned kiln save 61% of energy consumed and 74% of carbon dioxide. Denmark has continued supporting energy efficiency investments in Vietnam with a total loan of $30 million in the past five years. Former Danish Ambassador to Vietnam John Nielsen said that most of Vietnamese SMEs are facing financial shortage in applying energy saving technologies. As many as 97.4% of financial support for energy saving programs in Vietnam are sourced from foreign institutions and development partners, according to the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM). (icon.com.vn Feb 25)