(VEN) - The solar plant BP Solar 1 was hooked up to the national grid on January 20, opening up a new chapter for the energy industry in the southern coastal province of Ninh Thuan. Renewable energy projects maximize the value of land and water surface Ninh Thuan Province is home to 30 licensed solar power projects totaling more than 1,938MW in capacity, of which 19 projects with a total capacity of almost 1,003MW have signed power purchase agreements (PPA). The provincial People’s Committee has licensed 14 wind power projects totaling 798.75MW in capacity, three of which - Dam Nai, Trung Nam Mui Dinh - have come into operation. BP Solar 1 is the first solar power plant in Ninh Thuan to officially go into operation and join the national grid. A year plus ago, the first three wind power poles of the Dam Nai Wind Power Project’s phase 1 were put into commercial operation. The project’s phase 2 has been completed with 15 wind turbines in stable … [Read more...] about New solar power plant opens in Ninh Thuan Province
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BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 6/9
SSI upgrades stock board and order services for Web Trading SSI Web Trading, an online trading service from Saigon Securities, has upgraded its online stock board and updated two more conditional orders for derivative trading. The two new orders, namely OCO and Bull & Bear, are the two most useful orders in derivative trading. With this upgrade, all market data displayed on the board and order screen will be updated consecutively and immediately, helping investors track stock prices and follow transactions quickly and accurately. In June, SSI also upgraded its Web Trading by adding four more types of conditional orders. The continuous upgrades to the platform demonstrates SSI’s efforts in providing diversified, efficient trading tools for profit maximisation and risk prevention for clients when practicing derivative trading. With two new conditional orders, OCO and Bull & Bear, SSI has six types of conditional orders, including Up, Down, Trance Up, … [Read more...] about BUSINESS NEWS IN BRIEF 6/9
American entrepreneur finds Vietnam the right place at the right time
Erik Frankel and his employees making metallic jewelry at the workshop in District 2, Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/ Hanh Pham. The Golden Star Balm is a yesteryear product in Vietnam. Called cao sao vang in Vietnamese, it was once the only balm used across Vietnam to treat headaches, cold, arthritis and other pains. But, for many years now, it had all but disappeared under a deluge of imported substitutes that flooded the market in the mid to late nineties. However, last year, this made-in-Vietnam product was selling like hotcakes in the US, and most people were buying it from retail titan Amazon. This unusual revival made headlines, with the minute red tin with a yellow star in the middle commanding prices as much as 35 times higher than in the local market. The manufacturer OPC Pharma then, with public praises ringing in its ears, frankly said that it was not the mastermind behind the rise of the balm. It was small distributors like New York City-born Erik Frankel that … [Read more...] about American entrepreneur finds Vietnam the right place at the right time
Demand for affordable apartments on the rise
The affordable apartment segment will be the star of the property market in the coming years, but its supply is increasingly scarce while the demand for this type of apartment remains high, according to an analysis by property services firm CBRE Viet Nam. In the first half of 2018, the number of affordable apartments opened for sale in Ha Noi and HCM City decreased by 20 per cent and 36 per cent, respectively, over the same period last year. CBRE forecast that the supply of affordable products will remain scarce until the end of this year. In fact, most of the apartment projects that have prices ranging from VND1.5 to VND2 billion (US$64,377 to $85,836) per unit have good transactions. At this stage, as the market for land near HCM City is cooling down, the money flow from investors is oriented towards middle-range apartments. According to experts, the supply of projects which have apartments priced around VND2 billion each is scarce while the actual demand is quite large. Almost all … [Read more...] about Demand for affordable apartments on the rise
Vietnam set to trial Direct Corporate Power Purchase Agreement
On June 12 this year, at a seminar on renewable energy, the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) discussed and disclosed information about such a pilot DPPA. Generally, a DPPA is an agreement between a power generator and a corporate customer in which power is physically delivered and sold to the customer for its operation. ERAV said it is a time-consuming process since it and its consultants had to do research and collect massive amounts of information on fundamental issues, design, details, and criteria for DPPAs, especially for cases such as Vietnam. It is also challenging for ERAV to consult other departments of the Ministry of Investment and Trade for piloting the DPPA. ERAV’s consultants have submitted a first preliminary report on international experience regarding the basic design, mechanism and operation of DPPA. It is known that ERAV and its consultants also sent a questionnaire to several industries, sectors, companies and other stakeholders to seek their … [Read more...] about Vietnam set to trial Direct Corporate Power Purchase Agreement