The primamry aims of the planning grant are to promote the participation of key stakeholders of the proposed project, including local authorities and relevant agencies and communties, and provide scientific assistance for the project development. Major activities of the project include conducting surveys on socio-economic conditions of the proposed project site, identifying proposed project objectives and activities and assessing their feasibility, and providing needed technical assistance in project design and writing project proposal which will be submitted to GEF/SGP for review and appraisal; and identifying possibilities for project synergies and resource mobilisation.
The proposed project is intended to reduce greenhouse gas emission from households by removing these existing barriers to promote the use of appropriate energy efficiency technologies, such as cookstoves and biogas plants, among the rural communities. However, the lack of information on energy efficiency technologies and access to financial support are major barriers for community adoption of energy saving and efficiency technologies and practices. The proposed project aims to build the local technical capacity in cookstove and biogas plant production by training local masons, extension workers and motivators. It will develop pilot models to demonstrate the effectiveness and cost/ benefit of cookstoves and biogas plants. Information dissemination, experience sharing and public awareness will be given high priority for wide adoption of cookstoves and biogas plants among the community. Identification and promotion of the link with financial resources that can be accessed by the community will be prioritised for the replication of the pilot models.
The proposed project is intended to be carried out in the three communes of Binh Chau, Binh Thoi and Binh Duong of Binh Son District, Quang Ngai Province, a province in the southern central coast of Vietnam.