(CPV) - GE on November 27 announced the official start of operations of its Vietnam engineering center, coinciding with the company’s 20th year of operations in the country.
This is the second center of its kind to be launched by GE in Asia (and the first in Southeast Asia), serving as an affirmation of the company’s commitment to the long-term development of the Vietnam economy through building local capability and resources.
The establishment of the center was announced by Vice Chairman of GE, President & CEO of GE Global Growth & Operations, John G. Rice, during his visit to Vietnam in November 2012. Today, the center officially begins operations with a team of 41 engineers, all of whom are supporting different product lines in the subsea portfolio.
“Located in District 7 in Ho Chi Minh city, the Engineering Center will provide product design and applications services that focus on the oil and gas sector in Vietnam and the surrounding region. It will employ up to 200 engineers in the coming years and expand into application engineering and production design for other GE businesses. In addition to the USD110 million wind turbine manufacturing plant in Hai Phong city, the new Center is testament to our long-term partnership with the country as we work together to nurture local capabilities and skills, help build sustainable economic growth, and strengthen Vietnam’s role and status in the region”, said Mr John G. Rice.
Mr John Rice (in the middle) at the press briefing held in Hanoi on November 27. (Photo: ATP)
GE has been in Vietnam since 1993 starting with a representative office in Hanoi and expanding to Ho Chi Minh city in 2001. In 2003, GE established GE Vietnam Ltd, offering a wide range of products and services in the field of energy, healthcare and aviation. It now employs more than 700 people in Vietnam focused on helping to bring a broad range of infrastructure capabilities to the country in what it describes as a “company to country” partnership.
Since 2009, GE has invested more than USD110 million in its Hai Phong manufacturing facility which employs more than 600 staffs, engineers and other skilled workers. Wind turbine generators and other components manufactured in Hai Phong are exported to GE’s manufacturing and service centers around the globe. Total export volume stands at USD390 million since inception and is the highest amongst industries in the city.
On this occasion, GE also signed an agreement “Renewable energy integration study” with the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam – ERAV under the Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade, for wind grid code development and renewable integration study.
The project is funded by the US Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) under the grant agreement between the US Government and the ERAV.
Representatives from ERAV and GE at the signing ceremony. (Photo:Yen Ly)
Accordingly, GE will contribute technical assistance that will assist ERAV to understand the requirements for preparing the grid system for the successful integration of wind power. The study will provide valuable insights into grid stress and stability and will evaluate the reliability of long term wind forecasting. In addition to providing consultancy, GE will also help train the local work force to support the development of wind power.
This agreement will lay the foundation for Vietnam to exploit its great potential in wind energy which in turn will contribute to the improvement of the country’s energy infrastructure.
A study conducted by the International Energy Agency and the World Bank in Thailand, Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, shows that Vietnam has the greatest capacity to utilize wind to generate energy; up to 8.6% of the country’s land area has been evaluated as either “good” to “very good” for building large wind power stations. However, the current development of wind power in Vietnam is a fraction of its potential./.
Đăng ký: VietNam News