ExxonMobil’s Blue Whale gas project in Vietnam could start by November

Vietnamese Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucsaid he hoped the country’s biggest gas field project for power generation called the Blue Whale (also known as Ca VoiXanh) could officially begin operations in November. The Blue Whale gas field project is owned by multinational oil and gas corporation ExxonMobil.

State-run national broadcaster Vietnam Television (VTV) reported that the prime minister told ExxonMobil he hopes for the project to officially start at an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in November when US President Donald Trump and US government officials are expected to attend.

Vietnam is trying to switch to cleaner energy from coal-fired power plants. The country is also planning solar and wind power plants.

Jon Gibbs, Exxon Mobil’s vice president in Asia Pacific and Middle East, said the US company aimed to produce the first gas for Vietnamese power plants in 2023, according to the VTV report.

PetroVietnam, Exxon Mobil’s Vietnamese partner, has said the project would contribute nearly US$20 billion to the state budget.

Exxon Mobil established an exploration and exploitation unit in Vietnam that distributes lubricant and petrochemical products, according to a Vietnamese government news site.