Hanoi (VNA) – The United States is willing to support Vietnam more in respondingto climate change, especially in developing clean energy, sustainableinfrastructure and smart water resources management, said former US Secretaryof State John Kerry at his talks with a Vietnamese official in Hanoi on June20.

Accordingto Kerry, with its rapid growth, Vietnam needs to build power plants run byclean energy as coal is the biggest polluter in the world.

Thecost for renewable energy drops from 9-12 percent each year and is predicted tobe cheaper, he said, noting that the cost the US paid for solar power decreasedfrom 4,500 USD per kW in 2009 to 1,420 USD per kW in 2016.

Inaddition, it takes from four to six years building a coal-fueled power plant,but only one year building a solar or wind power plant, he added.

NguyenVan Binh, Politburo member and head of the Party Central Committee’s EconomicCommission, affirmed that Vietnam always attaches importance to energy securityand considers it a main target in the country’s energy development strategiesand policies.

Vietnamwill continue striving for a low-carbon economy with the focus on developingrenewable energies such as wind and solar and changing the production andconsumption models sustainably.

Itwill also mobilise all resources, both inside and outside the country, todevelop electricity to ensure adequate supply of high-quality electricity, useprimary energies diversely and effectively in electricity production, andextend the use of renewable energies, thus contributing to ensuring energysecurity, responding to climate change, protecting the environment and boostingsustainable development, Binh said.

He highly valued Kerry’s viewpoints on the field and agreed to work together instudying and developing the renewable energy sector in the country.-VNA