USTDA Awards Grant to Support Information Technology and Smart Grid Development in Vietnam

(USTDA) Builds on Past Success as NPT Strengthens its Power Grid

ARLINGTON, VIRGINIA – The U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) awarded a grant today to the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) of Vietnam to support its efforts to improve transmission efficiencies to meet increasing power generation capacity and demand. The USTDA grant is supporting a technical assistance program that will assist NPT modernize its legacy information technology (IT) systems in order to more efficiently manage its transmission infrastructure.

The technical assistance program will link a team of U.S.-experts from Tangible International (McLean, VA) with EVNNPT to expand and modernize Vietnam's electrical grid. The Tangible team will also assist EVNNPT in designing a telecommunications system that will enable the power company to modernize its IT, automation and management systems, and technologies.

"USTDA is proud to support this dynamic information technology roadmap project with the National Power Transmission Corporation," stated USTDA Director Leocadia I. Zak. "I am excited to see the outcomes of this new system that, once implemented, will enable EVNNPT to effectively deploy an integrated IT enterprise solution to manage its entire operations, from transmission to back office functions, in support of its core mission and better respond to customers' needs."

This project is the second recent partnership between USTDA and EVNNPT. In 2011, USTDA hosted a delegation of officials from EVNNPT in the United States where they learned about U.S. power transmission technologies. The visit introduced EVNNPT employees to U.S. services and technology providers in the energy sector, particularly smart grid solutions. Since that visit, General Electric and EVNNPT signed a contract for GE's capacitor banks, which will effectively double Vietnam's existing power capacity through the upgrade of the Pleiku-Phu Lam transmission line – the backbone of Vietnam's North-to-South power transmission network.

This technical assistance program also promotes the priorities of the U.S. Government-wide U.S.-Asia Pacific Comprehensive Partnership for a Sustainable Energy Future, announced by President Obama at the East Asia Summit in November 2012. As a result of the partnership, USTDA has committed to support programs in partner countries in the areas of power generation, distribution modernization and improved grid efficiencies as well as other clean energy supplies for the region.