Japan, Vietnam to burn rice husk for power

Work on the plant is expected to start in 2010 and will make use of rice husk as well as other agricultural waste to produce power at prices 30 percent cheaper than current rates, a senior consultant from the Japanese J-Power Company told the Can Tho municipal government.

The plant is estimated to use 1.5-2.2 kilograms of rice husk to produce a kilowatt-hour of power.

The company will co-invest in the plant with the Can Tho-based Dinh Hai Thermo-electric Company.

According to J-Power, the Mekong Delta has an abundant supply of rice husk – around 3.7 million tons a year – but the resource has been wasted for years, with a large amount discharged into local waterways, causing pollution.

Thus the project aims to reduce pollution and help develop the delta’s economy, it said.