Speaking at the opening ceremony, Mr. Dang Hoang An - Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade said that from 1997 to 2019, the Vietnamese economy maintained an annual growth rate of nearly 7%. Vietnam's energy demand in the last 10 years has increased by 6.5% for primary energy and by 10.5% for electric power energy alone. In Vietnam and Southeast Asia, the demand for energy import is increasing, so how can we have enough energy to serve industrialization and modernization of the country, towards an autonomous economy and ensuring national energy security, which is posing many challenges.
This energy planning aims to develop scenarios in order not to increase energy costs and not let energy become a burden on the economy. Energy development is required to promote the development of all economic sectors.
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An giving opening remarks at the workshop
At the workshop, delegates presented an overall energy development plan option and a planning option of sub-sectors such as oil and gas, coal and electricity.
In the planning option of electricity sub-sector, according to Mr. Nguyen The Thang - Head of the Power System Department, Institute of Energy, according to the forecast in the base scenario, commercial electricity will reach 490.8 billion kWh by 2030 and 976 billion kWh by 2050; maintaining an increase of 8.3% in the period of 2021-2030, then decreasing to 3.4% in the period of 2031-2050. In the high scenario, commercial power energy will reach 523 billion kWh in year 2030 and 1.110 billion kWh in year 2050.
Representatives from ministries, branches and localities have made active suggestions to the Energy Planning, focusing on energy saving, development of power sources and fuels for power energy production; renewable energy development; privatization in the energy sector, and so on.
Mr. Nguyen Tai Anh - EVN Deputy General Director speaking and discussing at the workshop
Talking at the workshop, Mr. Nguyen Tai Anh - Deputy General Director of EVN said that the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the consulting unit for the construction of the master plan should consider including the import and transportation of LNG into the energy planning; at the same time, it is necessary to consider how to import gas, because this fuel is not like other forms of energy. Experience in building coal ports should be learned from the world with flexible solutions (modules should be connected according to the need, transit stations can be rented, etc.). Regarding the development of the power industry, the Prime Minister has directed that the industry should be developed in a dynamic and open way. Electric industry being a sub-sector in this planning, so the consulting unit should consider more about mechanisms, etc., Mr. Nguyen Tai Anh proposed.
The National Energy Master Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 is developed in the context that the Politburo has just issued Resolution No. 55-NQ/TW on "Strategic Orientation for Energy Development of Vietnam to 2030, with a vision to 2045". The development of energy planning will contribute to a comprehensive assessment of the national energy supply and demand, and combine energy development with the socio-economic-environmental development goals set and committed by Vietnam to the international community.
MOIT’s aim at this time energy planning is to address the harmonious development of energy sub-sectors, offer a more "open" plan, create favorable conditions for state management activities in the energy sector.