The man-made Trị An Lake on Đồng Nai River. VNS Photo Ngoc Diệp
The ministry will submit those solar-power projects to the Prime Minister after it completes appraisal.
The projects that will be added to the National Energy Development Plan to 2025 and have a total capacity of nearly 5,400MWp, will cover more than 7,100ha in districts Vĩnh Cửu, Định Quán, Thống Nhất and others.
Of these, two projects, Trị An No.1 and 2, have received investment from Việt Nam Electricity (EVN).
The other investors include THT Investment and Technology Consulting Co. Ltd and Phước An Co Ltd in the northern province of Vĩnh Phúc with a joint venture with several other companies.
Trần Minh Đạt, head of the power management and technical division at the Department of Industry and Trade, told Đồng Nai newspaper that the projects would increase power output in the province and the southern region, helping to stabilise the electricity system and national power security.
Võ Tấn Nhẫn, director of the Trị An Hydropower Company, a subsidiary of EVN, said the projects would develop alternative energy in the region and reduce power shortages in peak seasons, especially the dry season.
But the projects' effects on the environment, ecology and quality of water in the lake must first be assessed, he said.
Trị An Lake is a man-made lake on the Đồng Nai River, covering 323 kilometres. It was designed to provide water for the Trị An Hydropower Plant with a capacity of 400MW, providing 1.7 billion of kWh each year.
According to figures from the province's Department of Industry and Trade, the region has on average nearly 1,900 sunshine hours and 5.11kWh of solar radiation per square metre each day.
Source: VietnamNews