Vietnamese renewable developer Trungnam Group has opened its pioneering 100-MW Dong Hai 1 intertidal wind farm in the country’s Tra?Vinh province.

The company installed the final wind turbine at the site on October 17, 2021, it said in a statement on January 16 following an opening ceremony.

Project company Trungnam Tra Vinh 1 Wind Power built the scheme, in 10 months, with 25 Siemens Gamesa wind turbines being installed at a total project cost of €194mn.

The scheme is also known as the Tra Vinh wind power V1-7 project, and will generate a maximum of 330mn kWh per year.

“The successful operation of the Dong Hai 1 wind power project will add approximately 330mn kWh of green energy annually and connect to the national grid, help diversify sources and gradually approach the ability to balance sources with fossil energy, especially in the context of international orientation toward a ‘zero-carbon’ future,” Trungnam Group said in October 2021 upon the completion of the project construction.

The 100-MW Dong Hai 1 wind farm is Trungnam Group’s first offshore wind power project. It is moving into the offshore wind sector from its base in the solar and onshore wind sector in Vietnam.

Siemens said in 2021 that the project would feature its 25 SG 5.0-145 model turbines.

Siemens Gamesa?has also signed a 20-year?long-term?contract to provide operation and maintenance services?for the project, ensuring turbine and farm performance and maximising the business case for the customer.

Paulo Soares, CEO of Siemens Gamesa’s Onshore business unit in Asia-Pacific, stated:?“We are?investing to?grow?our?team?and presence in Vietnam?to ensure?that we?produce the?best?solutions?available?to?help?our valued customers?accelerate the development?of?wind energy in the country.”

The project is bigger that the 78-MW Hiep Thanh wind farm in Tra Vinh Province, for which Siemens Gamesa won a turbine supply contract in 2020.

The 78-MW Hiep Thanh wind farm is Siemens Gamesa’s fifth nearshore project in Vietnam, and confirms the company as one of the largest players in the Vietnamese nearshore segment.

As well as the Tra?Vinh Dong Hai 1 and Hiep Thanh wind farms, Siemens Gamesa has also supplied turbines to 174 MW of nearshore capacity, making it one of the largest players in the growing Vietnamese nearshore market.

Tra?Vinh Province also boasts Modern Energy Management’s (MEM) 48-MW Tra Vinh Wind Power (TWPC) intertidal wind farm project.

The $104mn Tra Vinh project is backed by investors Climate Investor One (CIO) and ST International. CIO is a blended finance facility delivering renewable energy infrastructure projects in emerging markets, and has been developing this project since 2017.

Power demands are predicted to double between 2020 and 2030 in Vietnam. To meet that need, the target wind capacity in Vietnam continues to rise, with the Vietnam Energy Association planning a capacity of 15-20 GW by 2030. MEM supports investors of land-based and intertidal wind projects in Vietnam with a current estimated capacity over 1.5 GW. Of that total, over 350 MW are intertidal wind projects at various stages of development.