Energy efficient lighting NAMA pilot in Hue City

Beside a risk to people’s safety, climate change and increasing environmental degradation are regarded as serious threats to Vietnam’s socio-economic development, with Green House Gas (GHG) emissions globally and nationally a major contributing factor in the process. Total GHG emissions in Vietnam are expected to rise from 247 million tCO₂ in 2010 to 474 million by 2020 and 787 million by 2030, an increase of around 100% and 300% respectively.

During the Conference of the Parties (COP) held in Paris 2015, the Government of Vietnam pledged 1 million USD to the Green Climate Fund (GCF). Vietnam’s Intended Nationally Determined Contribution (INDC) has an unconditional target of 8% emission reduction by 2030 compared to 2010 levels. That target would increase to 25% with provision of international climate finance.

With ODA support to Vietnam phasing out, Luxembourg is now shifting focus to climate finance support. A screening in Luxembourg’s ODA partner countries in 2013, to identify the potential for a Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA), ranked Vietnam as the most promising for climate support and action. Following several scoping missions and consultations with Vietnamese partners, Energy Efficient (EE) lighting was selected for development into a NAMA pilot project.

In March 2016, LuxDev was mandated by the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs (MFEA), on behalf of the Luxembourg Climate and Energy Fund (CEF) led by the Ministry of Sustainable Development and Infrastructure (MSDI), to formulate a mitigation intervention through piloting of an EE lighting NAMA in Hue City. The Energy Efficient Lighting NAMA Pilot in Hue City project will contribute to national and local Green Growth, Climate Change and Energy Efficiency Target Programmes.

To do so, the project aims at following three expected results:

Result 1 – CAPACITY strengthening and enabling activities for the NAMA pilot

Result 2 – LED procurement and installation in Hue City

Result 3 – NAMA development and exploration outside of the pilot NAMA scope

Through the installation of more than 22,000 LEDs in target areas such as the Hue Citadel (e.g. the Flag Tower), Perfume Rive banks, selected urban roads, as well as schools or kindergartens, pilot Energy Efficient Lighting NAMA Pilot in Hue City projectis estimated to achieve total cumulative emission reductions of around 11,700 tCO₂ up to 2029, with associated energy savings of over 17 GWh.

Primary beneficiaries include local public institutions and tourist destinations, management agencies such as Hue Urban Environment and Construction Joint Stock Company (HEPCO), Green Park Company (GPC), and the Monument Conservation Center (MCC), as well school staff and students, the private sector, and indirectly, Hue City residents and visiting tourists.

The NAMA concept will cover two phases: the present Energy Efficient Lighting NAMA Pilot in Hue City project pilot phase in Hue City, followed by a second phase with the goal of extending the intervention to other municipalities/provinces in the country. This extension in scope in subsequent phases would be necessary to attract public and private climate funding.

Taking into account the Luxembourg’s longstanding support to provincial schools, schools, which currently use fluorescent lamps, have also been included. Besides from contributing to energy efficiency and GHG reductions, this school-subcomponent will benefit from LuxDev’s existing design, construction and management experiences as well as good work-relationships with the education authorities. By demonstrating EE lighting to schoolchildren and stimulating virtuous behaviour, this sub-component will add to the other tailor-made campaigns and awareness raising initiatives.