{"id":46654,"date":"2022-06-21T17:18:34","date_gmt":"2022-06-21T16:18:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/?p=46654"},"modified":"2022-06-21T17:47:52","modified_gmt":"2022-06-21T16:47:52","slug":"japanese-and-korean-industry-push-gas-on-vietnam-amid-campaigner-crackdown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatechangenews.com\/2022\/06\/21\/japanese-and-korean-industry-push-gas-on-vietnam-amid-campaigner-crackdown\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese and Korean industry push gas on Vietnam amid campaigner crackdown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Business interests in Japan and South Korea are pushing Vietnam to embrace gas as a core part of its energy mix amid a relentless crackdown of those critical of the country\u2019s energy policies. <\/strong><\/p>\n

As the southeast Asian country is finalising its much-delayed 2030 power development plan, including a shift away from coal, Japanese and South Korean industries are pushing the government to call for new investments in gas infrastructure, according to analysis by InfluenceMap<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Operating largely through business groups, these foreign companies are lobbying Vietnamese policymakers directly and pushing the government to allow and fast-track new liquefied natural gas import infrastructure.<\/p>\n

Yuna Chang, who led the research, told Climate Home: \u201cThese foreign players are actively taking advantage of this moment of climate transition to make a place for their own gas industry.\u201d<\/p>\n

The report comes days after environmental and anti-coal activist Nguy Thi Khanh was sentenced to two years in prison on Friday after being arrested and detained on tax evasion charges since. She is the fourth environmentalist to be sent to prison on similar charges in recent months.<\/p>\n

Nithi Nesadurai, director and regional coordinator of the Climate Action Network South East Asia (Cansea), of which Nguy Thi served as chair, said she had been imprisoned \u201cas part of an effort to silence dissent from environmental groups\u201d.<\/p>\n

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Vietnamese environmental and anti-coal activist Nguy Thi Khanh (Photo: Goldman Environmental Prize<\/a>)<\/p><\/div>\n

Influence Map\u2019s report published Tuesday analysed the engagement on climate policy in Vietnam of six Japanese companies, five Korean companies and eight industry groups.<\/p>\n

It found that the industry is pitching gas as a solution to Vietnam\u2019s energy needs – one that can support decarbonisation without compromising economic growth.<\/p>\n

This tactic of pitching gas as a solution to the energy transition, energy security and economic development is part of a wider \u201cplaybook\u201d to promote gas across Asia, it adds.<\/p>\n

While the country has seen a huge uptake in solar and wind energy since 2018<\/a>, Vietnam has the largest planned gas expansion in South East Asia<\/a>, with 56.3GW in pre-construction, construction or in development stages.<\/p>\n

InfluenceMap\u2019s research found a significant increase in industry references to LNG as a \u201clow carbon\u201d solution to Vietnam\u2019s energy transition goal.<\/p>\n

In 2019, just 11% of corporate statements in favour of LNG reference the \u201clow-carbon\u201d argument. That rose to 85% after the Cop26 climate summit in Glasgow, UK, when Vietnam announced a goal to reach net zero emissions by 2050<\/a> and pledged to phase out coal-power generation by 2040.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat’s when we see a huge explosion of messaging from the gas industry that\u2026 is trying to frame itself as the low-carbon alternative to coal,\u201d said Chang.<\/p>\n

Analysis by Carbon Tracker<\/a> shows that solar and wind are cheaper investments than gas, with large untapped potential for offshore wind. Boosting gas investments will further cause consumer energy bills to rise and leave infrastructure stranded.<\/p>\n