TWENTY-FIVE YEARS after his late brother first established the ESB’s presence in Vietnam, retired commentator Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh will be one of the guests in Hanoi tonight marking the silver anniversary.
It was a poor country still recovering from the Vietnam War when ESB International first set up there in 1987. The man responsible was former ESB chief executive Dr Paddy Moriarty, Mr Ó Muircheartaigh’s brother.
Among those expected at tonight’s event is Vietnamese deputy prime minister Hoang Trung Hai, who studied at Trinity College Dublin courtesy of the ESB. Vietnam has been transformed since then into a powerhouse of 88 million people.
Power generation has increased twelvefold in the last 25 years and demand for electricity is increasing by 13 per cent a year.
ESB International has worked on training and consultancy projects in Vietnam over the past 25 years and is acting on the second phase of a 1,200MW coal plant at Hai Phong.
The event coincides with Minister of State for Trade and Development Joe Costello’s three-day visit to the country. The issue of the recent adoption treaty between Ireland and Vietnam, which will allow for renewed adoption of Vietnamese children, will also be raised when Mr Costello meets the country’s minister for justice Ha Hung Cuong.
