Indeed, Vietnam has accelerated not only its production of photovoltaics but also its implementation of clean energies. It's a country that's still very much reliant on coal. That's one area where Canada has begun to do really good work with Vietnam, helping to phase out coal.
While they've made great strides in both wind and solar implementation, coal use continues to rise, so the commitment that the prime minister made at COP26 to be at net zero by 2050 surprised many because of this growth in coal. The estimates are that not only does Vietnam need to phase out of coal and replace that energy source with something else, but their demand for energy is growing at least 10% year year on year. There's a huge demand for energy infrastructure and energy generation.
I would note here that we already have a leg in. Given that we have a comprehensive relationship with Vietnam, we've been working through the ADB, the Asian Development Bank. We've implemented a pilot project for offshore solar, which is really exciting.
With these ins and already having a way to work with Vietnam on solar energy, I think the next step would be to look at that supply chain. Certainly I know from my past experience that supply chains for photovoltaics and solar power are fraught, and forced labour can be an issue in those supply chains. Working with Vietnam to transfer some of that investment and linkage from countries like China to Vietnam is already happening and something that we can facilitate.