On February 17, the Ministry of Industry and Trade held a Workshop on "Adjusting the National Power Development Plan for the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050 (adjusting the Power Plan VIII) and a report on strategic environmental assessment" to complete the project to submit to the Government.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has coordinated with relevant ministries, branches, agencies and the Institute of Energy to develop the Project to Adjust the Power Plan VIII. According to Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hoang Long, the Power Plan VIII was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision No. 500 dated May 15, 2023, providing many innovations, including dynamism and openness.
The plan aims to optimize the development of power sources with the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 according to Vietnam's Commitment at the COP26 Conference, ensuring sufficient electricity supply for economic development needs with GDP growth reaching about 7%/year in the period of 2021-2030, about 6.5-7.5% in the period of 2031-2050 according to Resolution No. 81/2023/QH15 of the National Assembly on the National Master Plan for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050.
However, the implementation process still faces many difficulties. Many important projects are behind schedule, especially LNG thermal power sources, when only 3/13 projects are being implemented as planned. Domestic gas turbine projects such as the Golden Lai and Red Elephant newspapers are facing challenges due to the lack of clear determination of reserves and exploitation progress.
In addition, the domestic and international situation also has many fluctuations affecting electricity consumption demand and the orientation for power source development. On November 25, 2024, implementing the Resolution of the Central Government, the 15th National Assembly issued Resolution No. 174/2024/QH15 dated November 30, 2024, which included the content of continuing to implement the investment policy for the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project. Continuing to implement projects at Ninh Thuan University with a capacity of about 6,000 MW will have a significant impact on the national power source structure.
The international geopolitical situation continues to be complicated, leading to fluctuations in imported fuel prices for power generation; attracting FDI investment is affected.
Faced with these challenges, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has coordinated with relevant ministries, branches, agencies and the Institute of Energy to develop the Project to Adjust the Power Plan VIII. Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long affirmed: "The Ministry of Industry and Trade will absorb and record reasonable opinions for editing and perfecting in the coming time".
Forecasting the electricity demand related to the National Power Development Plan for the period 2021 - 2030, with a vision to 2050, Dr. Nguyen Ngoc Hung, Institute of Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that in the period 2016 - 2024, the national commercial electricity output will grow 1.7 times from about 158 billion kWh to about 276 billion kWh with an average rate of about 7.2%/year. Accordingly, the growth rate for 2021-2024 will reach about 7.1%/year, about 8%/year lower than the period 2016 - 2020.
Currently, Vietnam has identified 8 potential locations for nuclear power development, with each location having a capacity of about 4-6 GW.
According to Mr. Nguyen Dang Duong, representative of the Energy Institute, Ministry of Industry and Trade, in the sensitive scenario when finding a location to build nuclear power in the Northern region, the calculation model opts to develop additional nuclear power capacity in the Northern region in the period up to 2045 with a scale of about 900 MW and increase to 4,800 MW in the period up to 2050.
The representative of the Energy Institute proposed and considered the location of Ha Tinh or a new location in the North (a location chosen by the optimal calculation model) as a reserve location for the case where it is not possible to develop nuclear power in Ninh Thuan. This is to provide on-site power to the Northern freight center, contributing to reducing the demand for inter-regional transportation.
