Vietnam Sugarcane Association calls for revised biomass approach

The Vietnam Sugarcane Association (VSA) has proposed adjusting the draft revised Power Plan VIII, to resolve the ongoing problem of disposing of waste and to fully exploit the potential of biomass development in the country, reported VietNamNet Bridge.
The association's proposal to the Ministry of Industry and Trade involved reviewing and abolishing regulations that classify biomass projects, suggesting that electricity generated from waste sugar cane fibres also be biomass power according to international practices.
In the immediate future, VSA proposed to adjust the application of one electricity price for all biomass power projects at VNĐ1,968 per kWh, equivalent to 8.47 US cents per kWh.
VSA also proposed to determine the role of biomass in stabilising the power system to support the expansion of intermittent renewable energy sources such as solar power and wind power, thereby taking support and incentive measures to increase the rate of biomass power to a level equivalent to the rate of biomass power in the IEA's net zero emissions roadmap by 2050 (about 5% of electricity output).
The association also proposed to immediately include 28 sugar factories in the list of biomass project developments with the potential to install 1,064MW and unlimited capacity expansion in the future.
According to the VSA, due to low electricity purchasing prices, sugar mills cannot raise sugarcane buying prices, which decreases sugarcane and electricity output during the crushing season.
In addition, the heat-electricity co-generation mechanism makes it impossible for the plant to operate as a biomass power plant outside of the crushing season because it is not economically feasible.
"This is a major shortcoming when all ten biomass power plants of the sugar industry currently have to accept shutdown for seven to eight months a year (outside of the crushing season) and is truly a waste of infrastructure resources, in the context of the national electricity system lacking supply, while potentials of biomass power has not yet exploited fully," said the VSA.