The Ministry of Construction’s Administration of Technical Infrastructure (ATI) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) today [April 27] organized a consultation workshop on the Smart and Energy Efficient City Project (SEECP) that aims to improve energy efficiency and management for urban lighting in Viet Nam, which will contribute towards the country’s net-zero emission commitment by 2050.

Overview of the conference.

The workshop program covered an overview of the guiding energy efficiency and smart city policies and urban technical standards, the findings of the technical, economic, and financial assessments on energy efficiency improvement in the urban lighting and public building sectors, and investment modalities for project implementation, and international best practices.

The project study is proposing around US$160 million of investment opportunities which include both retrofitting and greenfield construction in the urban lighting and public building sectors in the six cities and provinces and is expected to contribute to improving urban safety and the beauty of the landscape, create new jobs, and increase people’s wellbeing, and lead to a reduction of 1.32 million tons of CO₂ and $245 million of cost savings over the next 10 years.

“This project is supporting ATI to review and revise its development orientation, legal regulations, and policies to promote and manage smart urban technical infrastructure, and smart and efficient urban lighting systems in Viet Nam,” said Ms. Mai Thi Lien Huong, ATI Director-General.

ADB consultants (PwC India, PwC Viet Nam, and ENERTEAM) conducted on-site assessments in the six provinces and cities, drew meaningful insights into the two focus areas, and made recommendations for improving the existing technical standards and guidelines, and retrofitting practices.

A deep dive into international best practices and investment modalities for similar global projects was presented to exhibit the latest global energy transformation methodologies relevant to Vietnam.

“Climate finance is a key element of ADB’s efforts to support its developing member countries, including Vietnam,” said Hyunjung Lee, ADB Senior Energy Economist. “ADB stands ready to support Vietnam’s energy transition, and the SEECP project objectives and activities can serve as a model for additional climate projects to contribute to Vietnam’s net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.”

More than 100 participants joined the workshop, including government officials and experts from the six targeted cities and provinces (Cantho, Danang, Haiphong, Lam Dong, Quang Nam, and Quang Ninh), officials from other cities and provinces, and other stakeholders from central government agencies, public lighting companies, the private sector, and development partners.

The workshop supported ATI to finalize and promulgate the technical standards and codes for urban lighting, provided guidance to local authorities to retrofit and build new urban lighting projects with smart and energy-efficient technologies, and proposed suitable investment modalities for specific cities and provinces in Vietnam.