Construction has begun in Can Tho City, Vietnam, on a rice processing complex with a biomass fuel supply centre attached, in a project that aims to turn rice husks into a feedstock for power generation. Groundbreaking took place on 3 October, according to reports in Viet Nam News.
The complex, developed by Green CT Company, will have an annual rice processing capacity of 500,000 tonnes. It is the first of five rice processing sites paired with biomass supply centres that Green CT plans to build across the Mekong Delta.
The delta is Vietnam's biggest rice-growing region, covering about 3.6 million hectares and producing more than 24 million tonnes of paddy a year. Milling on that scale produces large volumes of husks, which developers want to use as fuel instead of leaving as waste.
Husks recovered from Green CT's plants will go to the Hau Giang Biomass Power Plant, in which Japanese company Erex has invested. Tomoki Kakuta, senior executive officer at Erex, said the plant is Vietnam's first commercial biomass power project to supply electricity directly for local use. It burns more than 100,000 tonnes of rice husks a year and serves around 50,000 households. Kakuta added that Erex plans to invest in 18 biomass power plants in Vietnam.
Green CT general director Nguyen Minh Tuan said that upgrading processing technology and making better use of agricultural by-products had become unavoidable as the global economy shifts toward greener growth. The new complex will also use modern equipment to improve the quality of its export rice.
Le Cong Ly, deputy chairman of the Can Tho City People's Committee, said integrated processing chains that use agricultural by-products should raise the value of rice and other farm produce in the region. He urged the investor and its partners to keep construction on schedule and to build a transparent raw material supply area that delivers clear benefits to cooperatives and farmers, while ensuring a stable fuel supply all year round.
