[In trang]
Consultation workshop on VAS findings and products
Thứ năm, 27/06/2024 - 11:39
On the morning of June 26, 2024, in Hanoi, the Ministry of Industry and Trade collaborated with the Danish Energy Agency and the Embassy of Denmark to organize the consultation workshop on selected guidelines of the Voluntary Agreement Scheme (VAS) operation manual and findings.
The workshop was held in-person and virtually with the participation of Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu - Deputy Director General of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade; Mr. Hoang Van Tam - Deputy Head of the Climate Change and Green Growth Office under the Ministry of Industry and Trade; Ms. Tran Hong Viet - Senior Program Manager, Embassy of Denmark; Mr. Jorgen Hvid - Long-term Advisor of DEPP3 Program; along with many representatives from government agencies, experts, consultants, project managers, and commercial businesses and manufacturing businesses.
Delivering the opening speech at the workshop, Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu said that the Vietnam - Denmark Energy Partnership Programme 2020 - 2025 (DEPP3) is a technical assistance project funded by the Danish Government, coordinated by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the Danish Energy Agency and the Embassy of Denmark in Vietnam. The program consists of three components, in which the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade leads the implementation of Component 3. This component focuses on promoting energy efficiency to accelerate the development of low-carbon industries in Vietnam.
Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu - Deputy Director General of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade speaks at the opening of the workshop.
Vu emphasized: "One of the key activities of Component 3 is proposing the design of the Voluntary Agreement Scheme (VAS) to promote energy efficiency in the industrial sector and run this pilot program during the period of 2023 - 2025. based on the designed program, the VAS will provide technical asisstance to key energy users in various industrial sectors/sub-sectors to develop energy efficiency investment projects such as conducting energy audits, preparing feasibility study reports and feasibility studies, and preparing investment documents to access bank loans and other sources of climate finance.
The local and international experts of the DEPP3 have developed a set of guidelines to support the implementation of VAS activities during the past. Since June 2023, VAS has also been piloted at 4 enterprises in Vietnam in the sectors of wood processing, steel, and construction materials, and initial positive outcomes have been noted."
Mr. Jorgen Hvid - Long-term Advisor of the DEPP3 presents the concepts in the incentive scheme and reasons to promote the scheme. 
At the workshop, the experts from the DEPP3 presented draft guidelines for implementing the VAS, including guidelines for conducting energy audits and feasibility studies. Additionally, the experts and representatives from participating enterprises shared initial outcomes from VAS pilot projects.
Mr. Hoang Anh - RCEE-NIRAS Joint Stock Company presents the initial outcomes of the VAS at 4 enterprises. 
During the workshop, the participants also exchanged opinions to finalise the set of guidelines that will be used to support the implementation of the VAS activities in the upcoming time. All of the positive contributions and valuable insights shared at the workshop will serve as a basis for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to further study and refine the design of the VAS and expand its pilot implementation in the remaining phase of the project. The outcomes of the program will help the Ministry of Industry and Trade improve and supplement mechanisms to promote energy efficiency activities in the industrial sector, contributing to the overall goals of the VNEEP3 Program and government efforts to promote energy efficiency.
Some pictures at the workshop:
An expert from the VSUEE project speaks at the worskshop.
Mr. Le Khac Giang - Deputy Head of Energy Management, NatSteel Vina shares his opinion at the workshop.
​The overall goal of the VAS is to promote investment in energy efficiency in key energy-consuming industries in Vietnam. Participating enterprises will be supported in developing energy efficiency investment projects. They will also gain access to commercial financing sources to implement projects and receive technical assistance in conducting energy audits, feasibility studies, and developing energy-saving investment projects.
When the enterprises sign the VAS and comply with its requirements, they will enjoy several benefits. These include initial screening of energy efficiency options based on existing energy audit reports, with additional assessments of potential and measures for direct energy efficiency if necessary. They will receive support for initial energy audits, establishment of a simplified EMS (Environmental Management System), and development of reporting plans for VAS compliance. Technical assistance will be provided to access commercial financing sources for energy efficiency projects through the development of investment projects capable of securing loans. Additionally, capacity building will enable access to technology guidance for participating industries and access to climate finance for energy efficiency projects, ensuring compliance with environmental reporting requirements under the Law on Environmental Protection for key energy-consuming facilities.