Vietnam : Mangrove Planting Funded as Part of Wind Farm Environment Pledge

Mainstream is supporting an ambitious climate action initiative in Vietnam by co-sponsoring the afforestation of coastal land near its flagship offshore wind project.

The Green Happiness Program was established in 2018 with a 70-year goal of increasing the countrys tree coverage for a more sustainable future.

And its latest campaign to plant mangroves in Sc Tr?ng province is now the focus of a month-long fundraising drive run by the British Embassy in Hanoi in partnership with Mainstream.

Mangrove planting is being seen as a solution to coastal erosion, storm surges and landslides across Southeast Asia

The companys kick-off contribution made a big inroad on the target to cover the cost of planting 1,000 new trees on a vulnerable coastal mudflat around the town of V?nh Chu.

The dense roots of the mangrove make it ideal for preventing soil erosion, building sediment deposits and absorbing storm surges during the typhoon season. Mature trees can also capture up to four times more carbon than traditional rainforest species.

It is hoped that the planting of 44,000 saplings over 10 hectares of land during 2022 will help alleviate the growing threat of landslides on the Mekong Delta with the afforestation supported by Mainstream set to directly protect more than 7,000 of V?nh Chus 180,000-strong population.

Chief Operating Officer for the APAC region, Bernard Casey, explained that the companys support for the Green Happiness Program aligned with the environmental management of its local joint venture, the 1.4 GW Phu Cuong Soc Trang offshore wind farm project.

He said: "In building the first 200 MW phase of our project, we will need to remove some coastal mangroves to install the power export cables from the offshore turbines.

"We have already committed to re-planting equivalent mangrove areas, and through the funding of this initiative we will significantly exceed that coverage target."

The British Embassy has pledged to fund protection for the mangrove trees as well as community engagement activities as part of the Queens Green Canopy, a global sustainability project created by Queen Elizabeth II to encourage people to plant more trees in her Diamond Jubilee year.

The 1,400 MW Phu Cuong Soc Trang Offshore Wind Farm is being developed as a joint venture between Mainstream and its local partner, the Phu Cuong Group. Once fully completed, the project will be one of the largest offshore wind farms in South East Asia, powering more than 995,000 homes and avoiding around 1,220,000 tCO2e each year. Visit its dedicated website to learn more.