Prime Minister directs proactive solutions to ensure adequate power supply during peak times.

Directive of the Prime Minister on proactive solutions to ensure adequate power supply for production, business, and people's lives during peak periods in 2025 and the 2026-2030 period.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh signed Directive No. 1/CT-TTg dated January 3, 2025, on proactive solutions to ensure adequate power supply for production, business, and people's lives during peak periods in 2025 and the 2026-2030 period.

The Directive stated: Ensuring national energy security and sufficient power supply is one of the fundamental factors to ensure the acceleration of the economic breakthrough and determine the cause of industrialization and modernization of the country in the coming time; The Government, the Government Standing Committee, and the Prime Minister have issued many documents with strong instructions to ensure sufficient power supply for production, business and people's daily life; The Prime Minister has directly inspected, urged, and removed difficulties to promote the implementation of power source and transmission grid projects. Thanks to that, even in 2024, when the heat was the worst in more than 50 years, the electricity load reached a record of more than 1 billion kWh/day, but the national power system still operated stably, without any power shortage. However, the National Power Development Plan for the 2021-2030 period, with a vision to 2050 (Power Plan VIII) still has some shortcomings; The implementation of power source projects still faces many difficulties in mechanisms and policies, so the expected development of power sources in the 2021-2025 period will only reach 56.7% of the plan, posing a potential risk of power shortage.

In the coming time, the socio-economic development target is set much higher than in the past, the national economic growth in 2025 strives to reach over 8% and the economic growth in the period 2026 - 2030 strives to be at double digits, requiring electricity to grow 1.5 times, expected to average from 12% to over 16% annually (equivalent to an additional 8,000 - 10,000MW each year). This is a huge challenge, if there is no timely solution to quickly develop power sources, especially base power sources, green power, clean power, and sustainable power, there will be a potential risk of serious power shortage, especially in the period from 2026 to 2028.

To proactively take early and remote solutions to ensure absolutely no power shortage in any case, the Prime Minister instructs Ministers of Ministries, Heads of agencies, Chairmen of People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities, Chairmen and General Directors of the following Corporations: Vietnam Electricity, Vietnam Oil and Gas, Vietnam Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation, Dong Bac Corporation:

Focus on implementing the task of providing enough electricity to serve socio-economic development in the 2025 - 2030 period, ensuring national energy security in the new era, the era of digital transformation, high-tech development - the era of national development with the requirement of being a particularly important political task. On that basis, promote the highest sense of responsibility, mobilize the entire political system, and concentrate all resources to promote and promptly complete power source and transmission projects within the scope of management of the agency. Absolutely do not let projects and works be blocked due to the slow handling of administrative procedures of ministries, branches, agencies, and localities.

Closely and effectively coordinate, seriously, resolutely, synchronously, and effectively implement the tasks and solutions assigned in the Government's Resolutions, Directives, Official Dispatches, and directives of the Prime Minister on ensuring power supply for production, business, and people's consumption in 2025 and the 2026-2030 period.

The Minister of Industry and Trade is responsible to the Government and the Prime Minister for ensuring adequate power supply in 2025 and the following years; Directing more drastically, strengthening urging, inspection, supervision, regularly monitoring developments in electricity demand and rising factors to promptly lead and direct appropriately and effectively; periodically review and report to the Prime Minister on implementation results every quarter.

Focus on reviewing and studying the adjustment of Power Plan VIII to promptly update new requirements and strategic goals for socio-economic development; update and supplement new power source projects, green, clean, sustainable power sources, and at the same time eliminate and replace slow-progressing projects that are not suitable for the country's development requirements, to be completed before February 28, 2025.

Urgently deploy the completion of the development and promulgation of legal documents detailing the Electricity Law No. 61/2024/QH15 before February 1, 2025, to promptly put the new policies of the Law into practice, especially the mechanisms and policies related to long-term minimum contract electricity output, electricity prices and electricity service prices, mechanisms to ensure the consumption of domestically exploited gas, the principle of transferring fuel prices to electricity prices; in which, it is important to carefully study so that the regulations both meet the requirements of attracting investment and at the same time must ensure the harmony of investors' interests with the interests of the state and the people, avoiding loss, waste, and group interests.

Speed ​​up the implementation of key and urgent projects in the electricity industry

At the same time, the Minister of Industry and Trade directed to accelerate the implementation of key and urgent projects of the electricity sector, specifically:

About power projects:

- Direct localities to immediately select investors for power source projects in the Power Plan VIII that do not have investors such as Nghi Son LNG, Quynh Lap LNG, Ca Na LNG, ..., to be completed in the second quarter of 2025; speed up investment progress to complete in the third quarter of 2028 at the latest.

- For power source projects expected to be completed and put into operation in 2025 (such as Nam Cum 4 Hydropower Plant, Hoa Binh Expansion Plant, Nhon Trach 3, Nhon Trach 4, Vung Ang II, Quang Trach I (1403MW - Unit 1 connected to the grid on September 2, 2025), ...): The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the People's Committees of the provinces direct and urge investors to speed up the progress of putting into operation 3 to 6 months earlier; require investors to have specific progress and operation time commitments, sent to the Ministry of Industry and Trade before January 20, 2025.

- For power source projects expected to be completed and put into operation in 2026-2030, including projects under construction (such as Na Duong II, Quang Trach I, An Khanh - Bac Giang, Long Phu I, Hiep Phuoc phase 1) and projects that have selected investors and are preparing Feasibility Study Reports (such as LNG Quang Ninh, LNG Thai Binh, Quang Trach II, Hai Lang phase 1, BOT Son My I, BOT Son My II, Bac Lieu, Long An I, O Mon II, III, IV...): The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the People's Committees of the provinces direct and urge investors to promptly complete procedures to start construction, speed up project progress, commit to specific operation times, strive to complete and put into operation 1-2 years earlier than planned. If necessary, research and propose to competent authorities to decide on relevant mechanisms and policies to meet the requirements of ensuring power supply, especially in the 2026-2028 period.

- Focus on directing the implementation and completion of the investment work of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant project within 5 years.

About power transmission:

 - Direct research on investment in the construction of power transmission projects according to Power Plan VIII, strengthen strong linkages between regions, increase the ability to operate safely and stably for the National Power System, especially transmission projects serving to relieve capacity of power plants such as Nhon Trach 3 and 4 power plants; urgently deploy construction to put the 500kV Lao Cai - Vinh Yen transmission line into operation in 2025 to relieve capacity of hydropower sources in the North and serve electricity imports from China if necessary.

- Focus on completing the construction of the 500kV Monsoon - Thach My transmission line project in January 2025; study and propose investment policies for transmission line projects from hydropower projects in Laos to the northern provinces to increase electricity imports from Laos in 2025 according to the Agreement signed between the two countries.

Encourage creativity in implementing electricity-saving work

At the same time, the Minister of Industry and Trade directed the synchronous implementation of electricity-saving solutions in Directive No. 20/CT-TTg dated June 8, 2023, of the Prime Minister on enhancing electricity saving in the 2023 - 2025 period and the following years.

Absolutely do not let fuel shortage happen for thermal power plants.

The Chairman and General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group focus on directing the rapid and drastic implementation of power source projects as investors such as Quang Trach I, II, Hoa Binh expansion, Tri An expansion, etc.; studying and proposing investment in the construction of power transmission projects according to Power Plan VIII, especially transmission projects serving to relieve the capacity of power plants such as Nhon Trach 3 and 4 power plants; urgently constructing and striving to complete the 500kV Lao Cai - Vinh Yen line within 6 months (must be completed by September 2025 at the latest) to relieve the capacity of hydropower sources in the North and import electricity from China if necessary; focusing on completing the construction of the 500kV Monsoon - Thach My line project in January 2025; Research and propose investment policy for transmission line project from Lao power plants to northern provinces to increase electricity import from Laos in 2025 according to the Agreement signed between the two countries.

Direct power plants under the Group's management to prepare for production well, ensure operational efficiency, and be able to mobilize maximum power generation capacity during peak months of 2025, absolutely not allowing fuel shortages (coal, gas, oil) for thermal power plants and water shortages in hydroelectric reservoirs according to reservoir operation procedures approved by competent authorities.

The Chairman and General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group proactively coordinate with the People's Committees of provinces and centrally-run cities and electricity customers to effectively implement electricity-saving solutions; directs local electricity units to implement the regulations in Decree 135/2024/ND-CP, guides, supports and creates favorable conditions for people to install self-produced and self-consumed solar power in the most convenient way.

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Translator: Mạnh Hùng