Japan Wants to Help Vietnam Develop Cleaner Coal-fired Power Plant: Official

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry wants to help Vietnam apply integrated coal gasification combined cycle (IGCC) technology to develop a much cleaner coal-fired power plant, said Mr. Katsushi Takehiro, director of the coal division of the ministry. With the annual growth of electricity demand of 10%, clean coal-fired power technologies are necessary to ensure the power supply while guaranteeing environmental protection, he said. Currently, coal-fired power plants in Vietnam, such as Vinh Tan 4, expanded Vinh Tan 4, and expanded Duyen Hai 3, have successfully applied Supercritical (SC) and Ultra-Supercritical (USC) technologies, which have improved the efficiency and lowered CO2 emission. The country also has the ability to implement the IGCC technology, Mr. Katsushi said. IGCC technology allows power plants to operate with low-quality types of coal, such as Lignite coal. Moreover, the exhaust heat from the plant can also be used for electricity generation via steam turbine. The technology can raise the net plant efficiency to 48% while lowering the CO2 emission by 20% compared to USC technology. (EVN, evn)