Meet the Team: Long Van Phan | OWC Vietnam
At OWC, our teams are constantly expanding, into more locations, in expertise and in sectors of influence, so that our people can truly drive safety and sustainability across our energy and oceans.
Our people are at the heart of what we do, and we invite you to get to know our team members so you can meet the energy behind change.
This week, we speak to Long Van Phan – a junior engineer based in our Ho Chi Minh office.
Position: Junior Engineer
Office: OWC HO Chi Minh, Vietnam
Hobbies: Beers and Hiking
Favourite TV Show/Book: My favourite TV series is Suits and my favourite book is 1000 Places to See Before You Die.
What does your day-to-day look like at OWC?
I wake up, get ready, and ride my bike to the office (keeping emissions low, haha) before diving into my role as an electrical or Power-to-X engineer, depending on the project.
My work spans electrical design, power system integration, techno-economic optimization, and general engineering for wind farms, solar farms, battery energy storage, and P2X plants. Recently, I joined the ABL Group’s Under 30 Shadow Board, where I’ll dedicate part of my time over the next 18 months. The work combines technical, management, and business tasks, so there’s never a dull moment!
What inspired you to join the industry?
I grew up in central Vietnam, where natural disasters due to climate change were a constant challenge. Seeing my hometown in darkness after storms and houses lost to floods made me want to find solutions. During college, I had a great chance to join a renewable energy research lab (100% Renewable Energy Lab), which helped me realize my passion for renewable energy. Around the same time, Vietnam was pushing for solar and wind development, and my family invested in solar farms. This gave me the chance to see projects from planning to construction, which reinforced my decision to work in renewable energy.
Can you tell us about something exciting you are working on right now?
I’m currently working on R&D software for both the electrical and hydrogen teams. For the electrical team, I’m developing a tool called Export Expert, which handles export cable rating and optimization for offshore wind farms—critical work that needs to be efficient. On the hydrogen side, I’m building on my previous tool, which won the OWC Technical Excellence Day’s R&D Award in 2023. This tool offers economic analysis and optimization for Power-to-X projects, covering everything from power sources (solar, wind, grid) to hydrogen/ammonia production and export to multiple markets.
What does the future look like in energy and oceans in Vietnam?
Vietnam is increasingly turning to renewable energy, with ambitious targets get by the government to reduce dependency on coal and other fossil fuels. Solar and wind energy, especially offshore wind, are expected to play a pivotal role in the country’s energy mix. Vietnam’s favorable geographical conditions, such as its long coastline and high solar irradiance, provide an ideal setting for the large-scale deployment of these technologies. Although there are currently problems in policies for renewable projects, I believe that this will soon be solved.
What do you enjoy most about working as part of OWC Vietnam?
I enjoy working on real-world projects around the globe. Since joining, I have been able to work on projects on multiple technologies (solar, wind, battery, and hydrogen) across multiple markets from APAC to Europe to the Americas. Some projects that I worked on in 2022 (early stage) are now moving forward to a more detailed stage, so it is quite interesting to see the projects you did start to become a reality. Also, Since my internship with OWC and ABL in 2022 and continuing as a full-time engineer, I’ve always felt respected and supported by everyone, regardless of rank, which is a rare thing in Vietnam culture. I got a chance to attend OWC’s 10-year anniversary and visit the Glasgow and London offices, where I met energetic, young colleagues who share a passion for beer—especially in the UK offices!
