The U.S. Trade and Development Agency awarded a grant to Mekong Clean Energy Interconnection Company Ltd. (MCEICL) for a feasibility study to advance the development of a high-voltage transmission line in southern Vietnam’s Bac Lieu province. USTDA Director Enoh T. Ebong announced the award during a ceremony attended by Vietnam’s Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina M. Raimondo. MCEICL has selected Kansas-based Black & Veatch Management Consulting, LLC to perform the study.
“High-quality transmission grids can absorb a higher volume of renewable energy. With this grant, USTDA is facilitating the development of sustainable infrastructure that will help advance Vietnam’s clean energy and energy access goals,” said Director Ebong. “U.S. companies are eager to partner with Vietnam to advance these goals.”
USTDA’s study will support the implementation of the transmission line by developing preliminary designs, risk mitigation strategies, and an implementation plan. The transmission line will provide power transmission capacity for grid-scale renewable energy projects in the region to help meet the rising power needs of the Mekong River Delta and southern Vietnam.
“This USTDA grant supports affordable and reliable clean energy to the country and people of Vietnam. The transmission line will further enable the country’s goals to achieve net-zero by decongesting grid bottlenecks for renewable energy projects in the Mekong Delta,” said Bobby Quintos, Managing Director of MCEICL’s parent entity, Delta Offshore Energy.
This activity advances the goals of USTDA’s Global Partnership for Climate-Smart Infrastructure, which connects U.S. industry to major clean energy and transportation infrastructure projects in emerging economies.