International renewable energy consultants, OWC is expanding its Asia Pacific operations and activity in Vietnam with a new office in Ho Chi Minh city, to be headed up by offshore engineering and renewables consultant Riccardo Felici.

The new office expands on OWC’s existing involvement in the Vietnamese offshore wind market, whilst also reinforcing the consultancy’s commitment to the country’s burgeoning renewable energy market.

Part of Oslo-listed ABL Group, OWC’s presence in Vietnam adds to the group’s existing branch in Vung Tau, which supports the local renewables, maritime and oil and gas markets with consulting and engineering, loss management and loss prevention services.

Tom Whittle, OWC Asia Pacific Director, commented:
"ABL Group has already built up a presence and track-record in Vietnam's renewable market. We have contributed with various consulting and engineering capacities to more than 10 offshore wind projects of a combined capacity of more than 5GW. Setting up a dedicated OWC office in Vietnam is a logical next step to provide even more specialised and targeted support to developers and operators in the local market."

OWC also recently welcomed to its global team, Vietnamese renewables heavyweight Nguyen Dinh, as its head of hydrogen and principal in Vietnam, to reinforce its growing engagement in the market.

The new office will be set up in Ho Chi Minh City, and will be headed up by Riccardo Felici, a highly experienced specialist in offshore engineering, subsea cables and renewables.

Riccardo Felici, OWC Vietnam Country Manager, added:
"Our vision is to support the renewable energy growth from within country by combining a strong local presence with our international and APAC experience. Being here is Ho Chi Minh allows us to support developers close to their projects, but also to support the growth of local knowledge in offshore wind."

Felici’s new role follows several years as project manager in renewable energy projects across APAC with OWC’s sister company Longitude Engineering in Singapore. He brings a wealth of market knowledge and experience in the Asia Pacific renewables space. He will drive the expansion of OWC’s technical and consultancy services in Vietnam to support the nation’s net-zero objectives.

In addition to offshore wind, ABL Group’s reinforced presence in Vietnam will act as a springboard for other ABL group companies to support the R&D, development, engineering and T&I of renewable technologies such as onshore wind, floating solar PV, energy storage and hydrogen energy systems.

KeyFacts Energy Industry Directory: OWC