The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has launched a technical assistance and training program costing $3.3 million to help Vietnam promote energy efficiency in the building sector. The support is aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions through more efficient use of electricity in this sector. “Vietnam’s aspirations for green growth depend on more efficient uses of electricity, which lower costs for consumers, facilitate innovation, and lessen Vietnam’s need for fossil fuel-burning electricity production,” said USAID Vietnam Mission Director Joakim Parker. The funding, which is under the USAID’s Vietnam Clean Energy Program, will help realize the Vietnam Building Energy Efficiency Code (VBEEC), a criterion in the Vietnam’s Green Growth Action Plan for the construction sector, giving direct support to property developers and management agencies in big cities. This is within the USAID’s Country Development Cooperation Strategy (CDCS) in Vietnam in the next five years that costs roughly $450 million. (vietnam.usembassy.gov May 6, Thoi Bao Kinh Doanh – Business Times May 7 p4)
