Vietnam Electricity awards GE battery energy storage feasibility study funded by U.S. Trade and Development Agency

• GE’s Energy Consulting business awarded USTDA funded “NLDC Energy Storage Project”; will partner with Vietnam utility, EVN and subsidiary, NLDC
• Official Project Signing Ceremony at The U.S. Department of State, Harry S Truman (HST) Building; 2201 C Street, NW, Washington, DC 20520; Room HST 1105 at 8:30 a.m. on April 12

GE Power and the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) announced that GE’s Energy Consulting business has been awarded a USTDA funded battery storage feasibility study by Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

On September 5. 2018, USTDA announced a grant award to EVN, Vietnam’s state-owned power company, to examine the feasibility of deploying advanced energy storage technologies in Vietnam. Surging economic growth in Vietnam has fueled electricity demand, with an estimated 8% annual load growth through 2035. Thus, Vietnam will need about an additional 93 GW of capacity, which is planned to be sourced from a mix of generation and transmission sources, including renewable resources. Vietnam has set a goal of 10% renewables integration by 2030. Current generation and transmission operations are near capacity limits, which makes long-term reliability challenging. The surging economy is increasing demand on an already challenged grid. Considering these existing grid challenges and Vietnam’s future plans, it is both timely and essential for a study to be conducted to assess how to strengthen the grid to support the country’s renewable integration goals.

Officials from EVN, GE and USTDA gathered for a signing ceremony at the U.S. State Department on Friday, April 12 in Washington, D.C. Experts from GE’s Energy Consulting business will perform both economic and technical analyses to determine the viability and options for large scale battery storage deployment on the grid with EVN and their subsidiary, the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) with the target date of completion for the study in early 2020.

“The Government of Vietnam encourages the development of renewable energy to meet the continuously increasing electricity demand in Vietnam. However, the renewable energy sources challenge the national power transmission system in terms of power system stability and balance of generation sources. As thus, the technical assistance of USTDA to help study on application of energy storage in Vietnam is significant for EVN in coming time in the context of massive integration renewable energy sources to the power system. EVN highly appreciates the valuable cooperation and assistance extended by USTDA to enable the signing of the contract between GE and EVN for the consultancy service. EVN will collaborate closely and effectively with GE for the success of this important Technical Assistance project.” shared Mr. Dinh Quang Tri, Executive VP of EVN.

This new study will provide valuable potential solutions to EVN and NLDC to improve grid performance. Recommendations and analysis from the study will help EVN and NLDC determine how much battery energy storage and/or related transmission devices (FACTS or others) to employ and where on the system to deploy it. These new technologies have the potential to help manage the existing grid challenges faced by the Vietnamese system operator.

“We’re excited for the opportunity to support our customer Vietnam Electricity (EVN) on this feasibility study for battery energy storage and other technologies that can help strengthen the country’s grid, and achieve its goals related to renewable energy integration,” said Beth LaRose, Energy Consulting’s General Manager. “EVN continues to be one of the leaders in Southeast Asia when it comes to preparing for the integration of large amounts of renewable generation into the grid. Our team of industry leading power systems experts looks forward to continuing GE’s strong relationship with EVN and the USTDA.”

“We are pleased to partner with both EVN and GE to deliver cleaner and more consistent power to Vietnamese customers,” said Verinda Fike, USTDA’s Regional Director for the Indo-Pacific Region. “This project aims to provide EVN with cutting-edge energy storage technologies while supporting jobs in the U.S. and Vietnam.”

The project will be conducted and managed from the GE offices in Schenectady, NY. This project continues the collaboration between EVN and GE. In 2014, EVN partnered with Energy Consulting to evaluate the impact of high penetration of wind power on its system.

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About USTDA

The U.S. Trade and Development Agency helps companies create U.S. jobs through the export of U.S. goods and services for priority development projects in emerging economies. USTDA links U.S. businesses to export opportunities by funding project preparation and partnership building activities that develop sustainable infrastructure and foster economic growth in partner countries.

About EVN

Department of Community Relations - Viet Nam Electricity
E-mail: [email protected]
Telephone: 024.66946405/66946413; Fax: 024.66946402
No. 11 Cua Bac Street, Truc Bach Ward, Ba Dinh District - Hanoi City
www.evn.com.vn

About GE

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About GE Power

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About GE’s Energy Consulting Group

For nearly a century, GE’s Energy Consulting experts have focused on solving the electric power industry’s most pressing challenges—driving the evolution of electric power systems with greater affordability, reliability, and efficiency. Today, GE’s Energy Consulting team continues this tradition by providing innovative solutions across the entire spectrum of power generation, delivery and utilization. With our cross-company resources, GE’s Energy Consulting business is able to serve a diverse global client base with a strong local presence.