Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui

HA NOI — As an experienced country in wind power development, Denmark was willing to share knowledge and technology with Viet Nam and help tap the country's huge potential for this form of renewable energy, said Danish Minister of Climate, Energy and Building Martin Lidegaard.

According to plan, in 2014, the first nuclear power plant in Vietnam will be constructed in Ninh Thuan province, central Vietnam. However, technology selection, the location of the plant and human resources remain challenges for Vietnam at this moment.

The $460-million Tan Rai alumina plant in Lam Dong province has almost been completed and the facility will be put into operation in October 2012, said the Lam Dong bauxite-alumina project management board.

Alstom and its consortium partner, Hydrochina Huadong Engineering Corp., signed a contract worth about $23.6 million, with Vietnam Electricity, to provide electro-mechanical equipment and technical services for Song Bung 4 hydropower project in Vietnam.

Southeast Asia's largest hydroelectric power station has begun operating to help ease an electricity shortage in fast-growing Vietnam, an official said on December 19.

Vietnam on Friday began construction of its largest private sector power project, amid calls for more investment in the sector in the energy-short nation.

Le Dinh Tien, Vietnam's deputy minister of science and technology, said the country considers safety a priority in its nuclear energy development following the disaster in Japan earlier this year.

Vietnam's state oil and gas group Petrovietnam said it would start building a $1.2-billion coal-fired power plant in early January in the country's southern region.

A chemical explosion at a power plant in Vietnam has killed two workers and seriously injured four others, officials and state media said Wednesday.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed that the government cancels 38 approved hydropower plant projects in the central region as they pose serious threats to the environment and society.

Nike Inc plans to stop production from three factories in China and one in Vietnam as part of a global review of its supply chain aimed at making the company more efficient, a senior executive said.

HANOI - General Electric of the United States and Asian rivals in the nuclear power sector such as Daewoo and Toshiba are among companies looking to win big contracts in Southeast Asia as the region's countries turn to the once-shunned energy source to fuel future economic growth.