Gia Lai is leveraging its rich natural resources and strong wind and solar potential to position itself as a renewable energy hub in the Central and Central Highlands regions.
In an interview with Gia Lai Newspaper and Radio & Television, Nguyễn Hữu Quế, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee, discussed the province’s priorities for sustainable energy development, environmental protection, and investment attraction.
▪How do you assess the potential and role of renewable energy in Gia Lai’s socio-economic development?
Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Nguyễn Hữu Quế. Photo: Provided by the interviewee
- Gia Lai, with more than 21,576 km² of land and a 134-km coastline, holds major advantages in geography, climate, and natural resources. These conditions support a wide range of renewable energy sources, including onshore and offshore wind, solar, hydropower, biomass, waste-to-energy, and geothermal energy.
We are gradually unlocking this potential with the goal of becoming a leading renewable energy center and a driving force for green growth in the region. Clean energy development enables us to restructure the economy, urban areas, and industry toward sustainability and long-term efficiency. It also supports the national shift to a green and circular economy, tied to digital transformation and the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
According to the National Power Development Plan for 2021–2030, with a vision to 2050 (Power Plan VIII), renewable energy capacity in Gia Lai is expected to reach about 9,657 MW by 2035, with an additional pipeline of more than 23,000 MW in potential projects.
We currently have 85 renewable energy projects in commercial operation, totaling 4,179 MW. These projects play a significant role in economic growth, grid development, and job creation for thousands of local workers. They establish the foundation for Gia Lai’s aspiration to achieve double-digit economic growth in the 2026–2030 period.
Ia Pết Wind Power Plant (Ia Băng commune). Photo: Hà Duy
▪What measures does the province prioritize to ensure renewable energy development aligns with environmental protection and local livelihoods?
- Our principle is clear: renewable energy must harmonize economic, environmental, and social benefits. We require strict oversight of technology and equipment, banning outdated or energy-intensive systems that could harm the environment.
Authorities strengthen supervision of investor commitments, environmental safeguards, project capacity, and energy efficiency. We prioritize projects located on arid land, degraded land, low-yield agricultural areas, or inefficient production forests. No new projects are permitted in special-use or protective forests.
Projects must minimize resettlement and relocation, and investors are encouraged to hire local workers. We also mobilize resources to support the energy transition by balancing the interests of the State, investors, and local communities.
The province promotes international cooperation in climate response, technology transfer, and green innovation. We invest heavily in science, technology, and digital transformation, while training high-quality human resources for the renewable energy sector. Strengthening the link between research institutes, universities, and enterprises remains a core strategy for sustainable development.
Krông Pa Solar Power Plant with a capacity of 49 MW. Photo: Provided by the unit
▪What are the province’s priority orientations and key policies to attract renewable energy investment in the coming period?
- Our vision is to integrate clean energy with green industry, high-tech agriculture, logistics, and digital transformation. This supports the national circular economy action plan through 2035.
Based on the Resolution of the First Provincial Party Congress, we have outlined five investment priorities:
First, integrate renewable energy with circular-economy sectors, focusing on green industry, high-tech agriculture, modern logistics, and digital transformation to build sustainable value chains.
Second, develop carbon-neutral and eco-industrial parks, smart industrial zones, eco-residential areas, and smart grids. These will help establish Gia Lai as a regional center for green energy and ecological urban development.
Third, ensure a transparent, predictable investment environment by publicly disclosing planning documents and project lists, encouraging private sector participation.
Fourth, selectively attract investors in industries powered by green electricity—such as agricultural processing with near-zero carbon emissions, new materials, semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and other high-tech sectors. We also prioritize the adoption of modern, environmentally friendly technology.
Fifth, build a comprehensive service and maintenance supply chain for the renewable energy sector, and establish a provincial Renewable Energy Human Resource Training and Development Center to create high-skill technical jobs and improve income levels.
To realize these goals, Gia Lai continues to propose mechanisms enabling private investment in transmission grids, adjustments to renewable energy capacity based on provincial potential, and expanded local authority in project management.
At the same time, we will implement policies to attract high-tech, eco-friendly investment aligned with circular-economy and green-growth models, while closely supporting businesses to ensure project progress and socio-economic development.
A growing number of young women in Gia Lai province are transforming family-run traditional crafts into modern businesses, leveraging technology, innovation and branding to reach wider markets and strengthen local products.
As markets and consumers increasingly demand food safety certification and transparent production processes, agricultural products must meet stricter technical standards to remain competitive.
The Gia Lai Market Ecosystem Initiative for Farmers (GLIMER), implemented between 2024 and 2025, is emerging as a key driver of change in agricultural production, enabling farmers to improve efficiency, reduce costs and better adapt to climate variability.
The launch of the FLC Pleiku resort, entertainment complex and golf course on April 4 is expected to mark a turning point for tourism in Gia Lai, positioning the province as a key destination in Vietnam’s Central Highlands.
Gia Lai’s cropping sector led the province’s agricultural growth in the first quarter of 2026, supported by expanded cultivation areas, rising output and strengthened export-oriented production.
Amid prolonged heatwaves during the dry season in the western region of Gia Lai province, water-saving irrigation is no longer just an option but has become an essential requirement in agricultural production.
A 67-year-old farmer in Vietnam’s Central Highlands has transformed low-yield hills into a thriving myrtle garden that generates income and attracts tourists, offering a new model for rural development.
South Pleiku Industrial Park is rapidly gaining traction as infrastructure development accelerates and a growing number of investors commit to new projects, signaling its emergence as a regional production and processing hub.
Gia Lai authorities are advancing plans to attract a $500 million data centre investment, positioning the province as a hub for digital infrastructure and high-tech development.
Vietnamese authorities are accelerating land clearance and resettlement efforts to fast-track construction of the Quy Nhon-Pleiku expressway, a key infrastructure project requiring relocation of hundreds of households.
Gia Lai provincial leaders pledged stronger support for businesses on Thursday as exporters grapple with rising logistics costs, new U.S. tariffs and volatility in global markets.
A large volume of registered investment has flowed into economic zones and industrial parks across the province, but actual disbursement remains limited, raising concerns over delayed projects and underused resources.
As demand grows for responsible and sustainable fisheries amid deeper global integration, protecting and restoring aquatic resources has become an urgent priority for coastal localities.
The People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province has approved a revised outline for the provincial planning for the 2021-2030 period, with a long-term vision to 2050, as part of efforts to align development strategies with administrative restructuring and evolving national policies.
Power authorities in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Gia Lai are reinforcing the electricity grid to ensure uninterrupted power supply for irrigation as the 2026 dry season drives rising demand from farmers across key agricultural districts.
The People’s Committee of Gia Lai Province has approved VinEnergo Energy Joint Stock Company as the investor for the Vinh Thuan Wind Power Plant, a project valued at VND 4,679 billion (about $184 million).
Ongoing conflict in the Middle East is disrupting global maritime transport, extending delivery times and increasing logistics costs for exporters in Vietnam’s Central Highlands province of Gia Lai.
Vietnam will support cooperatives in accessing digital platforms and new technologies under its 2026 Cooperative Development Plan, aimed at accelerating digital transformation and improving competitiveness in the collective economic sector.
Gia Lai province is tightening oversight of major urban area and residential housing projects as it pushes to meet its goal of double-digit GRDP growth from 2025 to 2030.
Gia Lai’s major rubber producers are racing to meet the European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR), overhauling land records, tightening supply-chain controls and deploying digital traceability systems to safeguard access to a high-value export market.
The once-barren commune of Pờ Tó is emerging as a new cocoa hub after successful trials by Trọng Đức Cocoa Co., Ltd., drawing interest from Japan’s Bourbon Corporation and promising higher incomes for local ethnic minority farmers.
Gia Lai is accelerating its transition towards a green economy, positioning itself as a strategic link in the Central Highlands’ sustainable value chain through large-scale agriculture, renewable energy expansion and upgraded connectivity infrastructure.
Businesses across Gia Lai province have sharply increased production following the Binh Ngo Lunar New Year holiday, with more than 90% of workers returning and many factories operating near full capacity.
Gia Lai has reached a historic benchmark with coffee export earnings hitting 1.5 billion USD, marking a major breakthrough for the province’s key agricultural sector.
