Promoting the role of media in economical and efficient use of energy

Attending the seminar were Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development, Ministry of Industry and Trade; Mr. Tran Viet Nguyen, Deputy Head of the Business Department of Vietnam Electricity (EVN); and Mr. Nguyen Van Tru, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang City.

Among the invited guests were Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Executive Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association; Mr. Dao Nhat Dinh from the Scientific Council of the Vietnam Energy Magazine; energy expert Ha Dang Son; Dr. Le Anh Tuan, lecturer at Electric Power University; along with many delegates, guests, and representatives from central and local press agencies.

This event is part of the "Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program II" project, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in collaboration with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Economical and efficient use of energy is necessary and important

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu, Deputy Director of the Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Development Department, Ministry of Industry and Trade, emphasized that economical and efficient use of energy has been of great concern to the Party and the State. "Vietnam is one of the first countries to have the Law on economical and efficient use of energy, which was passed by the National Assembly in 2010 and took effect in 2011. We have national target programs and national programs on economical and efficient use of energy, and we have a relatively complete and synchronized legal framework across sectors of the economy to promote economical and efficient use of energy," said Mr. Trinh Quoc Vu.

The National Program on Economical and efficient use of energy for the period 2019-2030 aims to save 8-10% of total national energy consumption throughout the entire period. To achieve this goal, in recent years, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has actively implemented various media and communication activities to promote economical and efficient use of energy.

The seminar "Economical and efficient use of energy: Implementation effectiveness and the role of local media" took place on the afternoon of September 18 in Da Nang City.

Sharing the results achieved in implementing the Law on Economical and efficient use of energy, Mr. Nguyen Van Tru, Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang, said that in recent times, the department has undertaken several initiatives, including collaborating with the National Program Steering Committee on Economical and efficient use of energy to develop and implement action plans and carry out energy audits.

“We have a team of energy audit experts who provide public services on energy auditing for enterprises. Through this, we have organized workshops to raise awareness, conducted surveys, and provided consultancy to key energy-consuming enterprises to find technical solutions, promoting the energy efficiency and cleaner production," said Mr. Nguyen Van Tru.

In accordion with the Deputy Director of the Department of Industry and Trade of Da Nang, in 2023, the city organized the City Energy Efficiency Award, and the Department also ran a separate program. From this, it was observed that many businesses had applied energy-saving solutions, reduced greenhouse gas emissions, and adopted cleaner production methods.

As a result, in 2023, the total amount of electricity saved by Da Nang City reached 68.39 million kWh, equivalent to a savings rate of 2% of the city's total electricity consumption.

Further enhancing the role of media

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Executive Vice Chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association, noted that many economical and efficient use of energy programs have been implemented by the Ministry of Industry and Trade at the local level. He agreed with the Ministry and local authorities that Economical and efficient use of energy initiatives have been very well-executed and effective.

However, the amount of information on economical and efficient use of energy is still limited, as there is a large volume of data to be collected and reviewed, covering a wide range of areas, which requires time for consideration. Media coverage and reporting on exemplary energy-saving businesses and energy-saving sectors is the responsibility of the media. While it may start as a "breeze," it can grow into a "storm" as the popular idiom “It starts as a breeze and becomes a storm”.

According to Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, the launch of the 2024 online competition "Understanding knowledge of economical and efficient use of energy" is another way to involve the general public and the press in the program, raising awareness about energy efficiency. "The topic of economical and efficient use of energy is not easy to write about. One must have in-depth knowledge, and to expand the media network, so the role of the press is crucial," the expert emphasized.

Assessing the shift in awareness and practices of the public and businesses in economical and efficient use of energy in recent years, Mr. Tran Viet Nguyen, Deputy Head of the Business Department at Vietnam Electricity (EVN), stated that in fulfilling the task of ensuring electricity supply for production and consumption, EVN has long adhered to the policies and directives of the Party, the State, the Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Directive No. 20/CT-TTg of the Prime Minister on enhancing electricity conservation during the 2023-2025 period and beyond (Directive No. 20). EVN has established specific indicators as key milestones. The greatest success of Directive No. 20 to date is the specific measurements it offers, making it easier for localities to implement.

"Currently, we have modernized the power measurement system with a digitalization rate exceeding 90%. This allows us to collect data on electricity savings, enabling us to develop specific communication strategies and plans to adjust electricity usage behaviors to be more efficient and economical," Mr. Nguyen emphasized.

In the future, EVN will continue to closely cooperate with provincial Departments of Industry and Trade nationwide to effectively implement Directive No. 20 from the Prime Minister, aiming to reduce the peak capacity of the system by 1,500 MW by 2025 through the Demand Response Program and reducing losses in the transmission and distribution systems.

Mr. Tran Viet Nguyen assessed that EVN considers communication to be the most important solution, as it is the most appropriate approach, particularly in terms of communicating government policies and regulations, through which society gains awareness of these regulations.

EVN not only communicates about policy mechanisms but also about solutions for comprehensive and efficient electricity usage. All communication materials are digitized and published on EVN's website, as well as those of its subsidiaries and customer service channels.

"In addition to the existing channels, EVN is also undergoing digital transformation and has maximized the use of multimedia communication such as TikTok, YouTube, Facebook, and websites. For many years, EVN has consistently collaborated with the media from central to local levels to promote the policies and directives of the Party," Mr. Tran Viet Nguyen shared.

In the first six months of 2024, the country saved 2.6 billion kWh of electricity, equivalent to 2.38% compared to the same period last year, exceeding the minimum target set by the government. This achievement is attributed to the active participation of the media, which has helped the public better understand and implement energy-saving solutions.

According to Mr. Le Anh Tuan, Head of the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Electric Power, as a research and training institution, we recognize the need to further tighten the implementation of energy conservation and to enhance communication efforts. Our success so far is due to the diverse methods of communication we have employed. Some notable communication programs include competitions related to energy, the Earth Hour program, and in this technical field similar to various areas including digital transformation, expert sharing is essential.

“The University of Electric Power has a close relationship with the Ministry of Industry and Trade and EVN. Our experts cover the entire field of energy economics and technology, ready to share information and support journalists in their communication efforts regarding efficient energy use,” Mr. Le Anh Tuan affirmed.

From another perspective, energy expert Ha Dang Son, Director of the Center for Energy Research and Green Growth, stated that there is limited information on economical and efficient use of energy at the local level. Media agencies have primarily focused their coverage on the two major cities of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City. Therefore, in the future, communication efforts at the local level need to be strengthened and a network connecting media agencies with experts should be established.