Germany-Vietnam energy partnership discussions commence – NEU e.V. supports partnership relations

As part of Germany’s efforts to establish a bilateral energy partnership with the People’s Republic of Vietnam, the first visit of a Vietnamese delegation to Leipzig took place on 30 March 2022. As part of a larger travel group, the 17 participants met early on Wednesday morning in the Council Plenary Hall of the New City Hall.

In cooperation with GIZ Vietnam, the Office of Economic Development of the City of Leipzig as well as the municipal utilities of the Leipzig group, the topics of energy efficiency and energy market solutions are to be worked on cooperatively with the Vietnamese representatives from the national energy authority and various regional energy institutions.

The morning was mainly dedicated to the exchange of knowledge and experience. After the official welcome by the head of the office, Clemens Schülke, who emphasised Leipzig’s long-standing relations with Vietnam, all participants introduced themselves to the group. Also present were Invest Region Leipzig GmbH, which manages the Leipzig office in the German House (Ho Chi Minh City), and Aone Deutschland AG, which is active in Vietnam and a subsidiary of our network member Tilia GmbH. Dr Olga Naumov (Stadtwerke Leipzig) then gave a detailed and entertaining presentation on the energy efficiency measures and contracting models of the Stadtwerke. This led to an intensive discussion with the Vietnamese partners, which was to continue in the afternoon.

First, the delegation was welcomed by the friendly staff of the Leipzig Opera House and guided through the historic premises of the cultural centre, which was opened in 1960. Afterwards, Mr Andreas Sachsenröder (Stadtwerke Leipzig) gave a detailed insight into the technical peculiarities of the refrigeration plant, the renewal of which was completed in 2020.

Afterwards, part of the group went to the basement rooms for a tour of the plant. The other part of the group furthered the discussions on electricity pricing and trading which had started in the morning with the experts from Stadtwerke Leipzig. This resulted in an intensive and understanding exchange between all participants, which should lead to a cooperative model at the end of this initiation phase.

We would like to thank all those involved, in particular, the Office for Economic Development for its support in organising the event and Stadtwerke Leipzig, whose many employees made the necessary professional discourse possible.