Future skills and job creation through renewable energy in Vietnam. Assessing the co-benefits of decarbonising the power sector

Vietnam has the opportunity to transition towards low-carbon planning pathways within the power sector that emphasise the uptake of renewable energy technologies – especially solar and wind, which are experiencing rapid cost declines in Vietnam and globally. However, the impact on employment, both in the power sector and more widely, needs to be effectively understood and prepared for by various actors and decision makers in the country. This study analyses the employment impacts of various scenarios for expanding electricity generation in Vietnam’s power sector; this was carried out in the context of the COBENEFITS project with the aim of assessing the co-benefits of a low-carbon energy transition in the country. Four scenarios are analysed for the future development of the power sector in Vietnam: Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) revised seventh Power Development Plan (PDP 7 (rev)); Danish Energy Agency Stated Policy (DEA Stated Policies); Asian Development Bank “Pathways to low-carbon development for Vietnam” low-carbon scenario (ADB Low-Carbon); and the Green Innovation and Development Centre (GreenID) Base and Renewable Energy (Base & Renew En) scenario. This report presents the resulting employment effects, presuming that the electricity sector focuses on all power generation technologies outlined in the government’s official power sector plan. It also provides an initial assessment of the skill requirements, attainment levels and technical training required for Vietnam’s present power sector plans and future low-carbon power sector ambitions. The four scenarios consider timelines consistent with MOIT’s reporting of the PDP 7 (rev) scenario, which is between the years 2015 and 2030.