The Ministry of Industry and Trade plans to increase electricity imports from China and Laos by 3,000 MW and 2,500 MW respectively by 2030, 1.5-5 times higher than the current plan.
The government expects double-digit growth in the coming years, to soon achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. With this goal, electricity demand growth will be around 12-14% per year.
In the draft for comments on the adjusted Power Plan VIII, the Ministry of Industry and Trade calculated that the scale of Vietnam's power system must reach 210,000 MW by 2030 and increase to 840,000 MW by 2050. This level is 35% and 50% higher, respectively, than the approved Power Plan VIII.
Besides domestic sources (hydroelectricity, gas electricity, renewable energy...), imported electricity is one of the options to ensure energy demand with the goal of high growth in the coming time.
According to the scenario of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the proportion of imported electricity could account for 5% of the total installed power capacity by 2030. This level is about 1.7% higher than the current planning and 4% by the end of 2024.
Specifically, the Ministry proposed importing about 3,700 MW of electricity from China by 2030, an increase of 3,000 MW compared to Power Plan VIII.
In fact, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) is negotiating to increase electricity purchases from this country to 2.4 billion kWh, with a capacity of 730 MW by 2026. From 2027-2028, the purchase level could increase to about 19 billion kWh per year, with a capacity of 4,100 MW.
EVN is also studying a proposal to purchase an additional 3,000 MW from China via a station located at the Vietnam-China border, with an output of 15 billion kWh per year. If this plan is approved, the power source from the neighboring country will be connected to the Lao Cai 500 kV transformer station and the main capacity will be released via the Lao Cai - Vinh Yen 500 kV line (the transmission project is expected to be operational in early 2026).
However, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there is currently no commitment on the scale of electricity imports from China. "In the coming time, the competent authorities of the two countries need to continue negotiating, clarifying and soon signing the agreement," the Ministry said. Along with that, the operator will study and evaluate the economic and technical feasibility of the scale of electricity imports from this country.
In addition to China, Vietnam also plans to increase electricity purchases from Laos, expected to reach 6,800 MW by 2030 in a high growth scenario. This level is nearly 1.6 times higher than the capacity proposed in Power Plan VIII (4,300 MW).
Vietnam has the ability to import electricity from the two neighboring countries because these countries have surplus resources, especially hydropower, and have plans to export. According to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the amount of imported electricity has increased steadily over the years, reaching 5 billion kWh by the end of 2024. In 2021 alone, output decreased to about 1.4 billion kWh due to the temporary suspension of purchases from China.
Vietnam currently imports about 1,000 MW of electricity from Laos via interconnected 220 kV lines. According to the agreement between the two governments, the total imported capacity from this country is expected to increase to 5,000-8,000 MW by 2030.
For China, electricity is purchased through two 220 kV lines Malungtang - Ha Giang and Maquan - Lao Cai during the dry season, with a total capacity of about 550 MW, output of 2-3 billion kWh per year.
In addition to imported electricity, when adjusting the Power Plan VIII, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also proposed a scenario for increasing domestic power sources by 2030. For example, compared to the current plan, the operator expects the country to increase 30,000 MW of solar power, 5,700 MW of small hydropower; 6,000 MW of onshore wind power. In addition, there are 12,500 MW of stored-energy batteries, 1,400 MW of biomass power, and 2,700 MW of flexible (LNG combined with renewable energy) sources...
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