Marubeni and Doosan Vina join forces to develop offshore wind energy in Vietnam

Japan’s Marubeni Corporation and South Korea’s Doosan Energy Vietnam (Doosan Vina) have signed a memorandum of understanding to jointly develop offshore wind energy in Vietnam to tap the country’s growing electricity demand.

After signing the MoU, the two sides will analyze the feasibility of cooperation in the Vietnamese industry.

Doosan Vina, owner of a 100-hectare industrial complex in the Dung Quat economic zone in central Quang Ngai province, plans to produce monopiles as foundations for offshore wind turbines and other components of offshore wind farms.

In the meantime, Marubeni intends to explore the possibility of expanding cooperation with other Vietnamese companies to support the offshore wind energy sector in the Southeast Asian country.

The World Bank has recognized that Vietnam has a potential offshore wind capacity of 475 gigawatts. However, no offshore wind farms have been built, although the country plans to achieve 6 GW of wind energy by 2030 under the Energy Development Plan VIII (PDP VIII).

Speaking at the signing ceremony on Saturday, Kim Hyo Tae, CEO of Doosan Vina, said the collaboration is part of the company’s efforts to achieve the 2050 net-zero emissions target that Vietnam announced at COP26 in 2021.

Vietnam boasts great natural resources such as the ocean, wind and sun, which promotes the development of renewable energy, especially offshore wind energy, Kim added.

Seiji Kawamura, general manager of the overseas energy division (Asia-Pacific) at Marubeni Corporation, emphasized the importance of offshore wind energy in the corporation’s business strategy. With 50 years of involvement in Vietnam’s energy industry, Marubeni aims to continue to contribute to the country’s economy.

Doosan Vina and Marubeni are strategic partners in the energy industry in the Asia Pacific region.

They successfully completed the construction of the Nghi Son 2 BOT thermal power plant in the central province of Thanh Hoa. Doosan acted as the engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor and Marubeni was a member of a consortium consisting of three investors.

Doosan Vina, which operates a $300 million industrial complex in the Dung Quat economic zone, specialises in manufacturing modules, container cranes, steel structures and power plant equipment.

In Vietnam, Doosan Vina has acted as the EPC general contractor for large thermal power plants such as Mong Duong 2, Vinh Tan 4, Nghi Son 2 and Song Hau 1. It has also supplied cranes to major seaports in the country.

Meanwhile, Marubeni served as the general EPC contractor for 11 power plant construction projects in Vietnam, such as Thai Binh 1 and Nghi Son 2. It is also the contractor for the 1,050 MW O Mon 2 gas-fired power plant and the 1,500 MW liquefied natural gas-powered Quang Ninh power plant.

In the renewable energy sector, Marubeni has developed onshore and offshore wind farms with a combined capacity of over 2,000 MW in numerous countries including Japan and the UK.