Hanoi (VNS/VNA) - TheSouthern Power Corporation (EVN SPC) will start building a solar power plantin July to turn Con Dao island into "a high-quality tourist andeconomic zone".

At a total cost of over 91billion VND (3.9 million USD), the plant in the Dat Doc beach area is expectedto provide a total capacity of more than 3,700MWp.

According to the firm, theplant will help reduce the load on the existing diesel generator system duringthe day and support stable power provision for the island’shouseholds and businesses.

It will also create a drivingforce for the development of the marine economy and tourism activities to ensuresustainable development and protection of the marine environment. 

The EVN SPC’s project that spansmore than 43,500sq.m in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province is expected to be completedin December. 

Con Dao has already developedsome solar power projects, including one funded by the Spanish government,which has a capacity of 36kWp. 

Most recently, the islandcompleted and put into operation a solar power system with the capacity of100kWp on the roof of Con Dao Power’s building.

Doan Van Tranh, Director of theCon Dao Power Company, said: “The initial investment for solar is high, butstill much lower than using electricity from diesel generators. Specifically,if using a generator, the production cost is 6,500 VND per kWh, while the costof solar power is only 4,500 VND per kWh.”

Tranh added: “Theprice for solar energy is expected to decrease due to the lower prices ofsolar panels.”

Tranh said: “Not only savinginvestment costs, solar power will protect the environment andtakes advantage of the sunny conditions on the island.”/.