Vietnam NEWS

Vietnam plans to cut the feed-in tariff for rooftop solar panels by 30.8-37.9 per cent in a bid to reduce pressure on the national power grid following a recent boom in installed capacity, state media reported on Wednesday.Vietnam has had one of the fastest growing renewable energy markets in Asia in recent years, but the development of its transmission system has lagged.

Vietnamese state-backed Binh Son Refining and Petrochemical Co (BSR) has reached an agreement with SOCAR to purchase 5 mln barrels of crude in 2020. A statement on BSR’s website read that SOCAR will supply 5 mln barrels of Azeri Light crude to BSR-operated Dung Quat refinery. Vietnam has seen increased dependence over imported crude due to slow domestic output and China's stance in the region which hampers offshore exploration.

Leading technology provider, HoneywellUOP has announced the award of work for propylene production in Vietnam. Phu My Plastics Production JSC will deploy Honeywell’s C3 Oleflex™ technology for manufacturing polymer-grade propylene at its facility in the country. The proprietary C3 Oleflex technology converts propane to propylene through catalytic dehydrogenation. This award is first in line for Honeywell’s propane dehydrogenation technology in Vietnam.

SNC-Lavalin has secured a Project Management Contract from Long Son Petrochemicals Company Limited (LSP). The Montreal-based engineering major will form an integrated team of personnel with LSP to manage a variety of contractors on site. President, Oil & Gas at SNC-Lavalin said that the project will leverage SNC-Lavalin’s project management and technical skills. LSP is investing US$5.4 billion to develop, construct and operate Vietnam’s first integrated petrochemicals complex.

British EPC giant, TechnipFMC has won a contract to carry out the licensing, engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning and start-up for Vietnam’s maiden olefins plant. The contract has been awarded by SCG-owned Long Son Petrochemicals Co. The plant will utilize TechnipFMC’s proprietary ethylene technology, to produce up to 1.6 million tons of olefin per year.

Malaysia’s Bumi Armada has been awarded a $285m contract extension for its FPSO Armada TGT 1 FPSO vessel. The vessel is currently deployed offshore Vietnam. The company informed that the contract with Hoang Long Joint Operating Company, which was signed in 2009, has been extended for a further six years till 2024. HLJOC is a partnership between PetroVietnam EPC, SOCO, OPECO and PTTEP Company.

Russian oil and gas supermajor, Rosneft, has kicked off drilling operations offshore Vietnam. To develop the Lan Do field further, Rosneft plans to construct subsea installations to be linked with Lan Tay platform in the block. Rosneft is viewing its operations in Vietnam as the experience required to expand its global reach. The company has made this move amidst sanctions preventing it from offshore mining with western companies.