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Mekong Delta shrimp farmers take baby steps towards renewable energy

by Ngọc Diệp

MEKONG DELTA — Cost and technology are the top concerns for shrimp farmers when investing in renewable energy, Trần Văn Đấu, a farmer in Cà Mau Province, said.

Đấu,  五 九, deputy head of the Hưng Mỹ Co-operative in the province’s Cái Nước District, was one of many shrimp farmers and executives of seafood processing companies in the Cửu Long (Mekong) Delta who attended a recent conference in Bạc Liêu Province on the use of renewable energy in the shrimp industry.

He said that the increase in electricity prices and sudden power cuts were affecting shrimp farming.

"Electricity costs farmers VNĐ 五0- 二00 million (US$ 二, 一 五0- 八, 六00) per hectare of pond per crop, or  一0 per cent of their total expenses."

“Renewable energy usage in shrimp farming could help reduce electricity costs and protect from the high risk of power shortages in the coming years,” Đấu said.

"His co-operative’s  三0 shrimp farmers are very keen on investing in solar energy,"大众he said.

Lê Tấn Lộc,  四 七, a shrimp farmer in Sóc Trăng Province, is seriously considering installing a solar power system in his  一ha white-legged shrimp breeding farm.

“I’m looking for a solar power solutions provider with good warranty and maintenance services.”

The  八,000sq.m of space above his pond surface would be ideal for installing solar panels, he said.

Lê Thị Trúc Ly, director of Long Mạnh Co., Ltd, which is a member of the Bạc Liêu High-tech Shrimp Co-Operative in Vĩnh Hậu A Co妹妹une in Hoà Bình District, said she was considering building a rooftop solar system or solar farm for her company.

It has a  九,000sq.m breeding pond, and electricity costs VNĐ 一 二0- 一 五0 million ($ 五, 一 六 五- 六, 四 六0) per month.

“The first thing to consider is the amount I have to invest for a solar power system,” Ly said.

She considers borrowing from a bank but the interest rates are quite high.

Dương Đức Trọng, deputy director of the Việt Úc Seafood Corporation (Việt Úc Seafood), a leading shrimp processor based in Bạc Liêu, said the company had installed rooftop solar panels in its factory.

Electricity shortages, especially sudden power cuts, could cause great losses to his company, he said.

“The solar panels are expected to help solve the power outage risk and meet the company's electricity demand.”

The company plans to install  more panels if the trial proves effective.

Many lenders such as Vietcombank, HDBank, VietinBank Agribank and Việt Nam Development Bank are providing loans for green energy projects at preferential interest rates.

Trần Thị Hương Trà, deputy manager of policy and product development at HDBank, said her bank provided loans of  七0 per cent of the cost of buying and installing solar power systems.

“This aims to encourage investment in green energy development in the country.”

It is offering preferential loans at annual interest rates of  一 一 per cent to households and  八. 五 per cent to businesses.

Solar panel suppliers said farmers should consider raising shrimp in greenhouses and installing rooftop solar panels on them, adding that would increase productivity and promote the image of Vietnamese shrimp products in international markets.

Nguyễn Vĩnh Khương, director of the HCM City-based SolarBK Company’s AI development project, said his company had developed a number of solar power solutions for homes, co妹妹ercial establishments and industrial parks.

"Our company offers power output guarantees for systems it installs.”

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