GE wind turbines installed at Vietnam’s first offshore wind farm

Bac Lieu-based Cong Ly Construction and Trading Co Ltd completed the installation of the two wind turbines, which had been provided by the US’s General Eclectic Company (GE), said Duong Quang Loc, director of the management board of the Bac Lieu Province Wind Power Plant Project.

Each wind turbine is made of titan steel, weighs 210 tons, and measures 90 meters in height. They are part of the wind farm project’s Phase 1 to install 10 wind turbines, said Nguyen Thang Long, assistant to the general director of the company.

The remaining wind turbines of Phase 1 are expected to be available in August or September 2012 and the power generated from the wind turbines will be connected to the national power grid.

Under the wind farm project, 62 wind turbines with total capacity of 99.2 MW will be installed at a total cost VND5,200 billion (US$250 million), which is sourced from loans provided by the US Import and Export Bank.

Upon completion, the wind farm will generate 56 million kWh per year. Last March, Cong Ly company asked for permission from the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee authorities to develop a project to build a sea wind turbine system along the sea off Can Gio District’s Can Thanh Commune.

If the wind farm is approved, the company will install 125 wind turbines with total capacity of 200 MW at an estimated cost of VND10 trillion ($480.3 million). The wind turbines will also be provided by GE and the project is expected to be complete within 3-4 years.

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