Reviewing legal obstacles in implementing power projects
The Government Standing Committee requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to urgently review all power sources in the Implementation Plan of PDP8 in the direction of shifting baseload power from coal to gas power, prioritizing domestic production to achieve electricity growth of 12-15%/year, ensuring national energy security, securing sufficient electricity supply to serve production, business, and people's lives, especially respecting and absolutely realizing commitments to foreign investors. At the same time, MOIT is requested to study the experience of nuclear power development in countries around the world to propose the development of nuclear power in Vietnam in the coming time, supplement base load power sources, minimize environmental risks and report to the Politburo for consideration and decision.
Illustrative photo
Along with that, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has been closely coordinating with relevant ministries, agencies, local authorities, especially the Vietnam Electricity and the Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, to review legal obstacles in implementing power projects, urgently completing the Electricity Law Project (amended) in the direction that clear, proven to be correct and effective in practice contents from the previous Electricity Law as well as stipulated in decrees and circulars need to be studied to be supplemented and updated in this draft law; as for unclear contents with many variables, MOIT should consider in the direction of prescribing principles in the law and assigning the Government to issue specific regulations such as price issues, technical standards, etc.
The Government Standing Committee also requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to review legal obstacles related to the development of power projects to study, propose, and send to the Ministry of Planning and Investment to consolidate into a draft law amending many laws such as the Investment Law, Bidding Law, Law on Resources, Environment of Seas and Islands, Law on the Sea of Vietnam, Law on Construction, etc.
The Government Standing Committee assigned the Government Office to draft a Decision to establish a Working Group headed by the Minister of Industry and Trade; the Chairman of Vietnam Electricity and the Chairman of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group as Deputy Heads, to review legal obstacles in implementing power projects. On that basis, the Working Group is responsible for synthesizing and proposing amendments and supplements to complete the Electricity Law (amended) with the highest quality, completed before September 20, 2024, to submit to the National Assembly for approval at the 8th Session according to the one-session process. Assigning Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son to direct the process according to his authority directly, issues beyond the authority of the Deputy Prime Minister will be reported to the Prime Minister.
The Working Group proactively mobilizes personnel to participate according to assigned functions and tasks to ensure that the Electricity Law (amended) project and the project of One Law amending many Laws are of the best quality and practical; after the laws are promulgated, it will facilitate the implementation of power projects according to Master Plans and Implementation Plans approved by the Prime Minister.
Study and amend laws in the direction of maximizing decentralization
The Government Standing Committee emphasized that promoting experience in leading, directing, and successfully implementing the third 500kV transmission line project from Quang Trach to Pho Noi, ministries, agencies, localities, groups, corporations, and units must mobilize the combined strength from the central to local levels in organizing and implementing socio-economic development tasks, especially implementing important national infrastructure projects, power transmission projects, and power generation projects.
In particular, study and amend laws in the direction of maximizing decentralization, issues under the authority of each level shall be resolved by that level; arrange and allocate resources reasonably; define responsibilities and design tools to strengthen inspection and supervision; it is necessary to study to decentralize to ministries and localities to decide and take responsibility for their decisions, the Government shall carry out inspection, supervision and urging according to the planning and deliverables.
For licensed projects, investors are required to comply with their commitments. In case of failure to comply with their commitments, the competent authority is requested to resolutely revoke the license in accordance with the provisions of law.
Regarding the offshore wind power pilot project, the Politburo has issued a policy for piloting offshore wind power generation and export in Conclusion No. 76-KL/TW dated April 24, 2024, on the implementation of Resolution No. 41-NQ/TW on the orientation of the Vietnam Oil and Gas Industry Development Strategy to 2025, with a vision to 2035 and some orientations for the new period. The Government Standing Committee requested Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son to consider immediately assigning the project to units for implementation. For legal issues such as regulations on output, and pass-through pricing, it is recommended to study and add them to the draft laws.