Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) has proposed revisions to its 8th National Electricity Development Plan (PDP8), aiming to increase electricity imports from Laos and China to meet rapidly expanding energy demand in line with the country’s economic growth in recent years.
According to MOIT data, Vietnam currently imports approximately 1,600 MW of electricity from Laos and 550 MW from China, representing only 2.4% of the country’s total power generation capacity. However, by 2030, the import proportion could increase to 4-5% if electricity demand, particularly in the north, continues to grow. Imports from Laos are expected to reach as high as 8,000 MW through several high-voltage transmission projects currently under development.
Meanwhile, Vietnam is considering importing an additional 3,000 MW of electricity from China through the power grids in Lao Cai and Quang Ninh provinces. MOIT emphasized that even with a significant increase in imports, the proportion should be limited to no more than 10% of peak electricity demand. To maintain the long-term stability of the power system, under the revised PDP8 plan, Vietnam needs to produce and import a total of 560,000–625,000 million kW/hour of electricity by 2030 to support its target of an average annual economic growth of 10 percent.
Mr. Dang Hoang An, Chairman of EVN, stated that Vietnam’s power system infrastructure is becoming more complex due to the increasing proportion of renewable energy, making it more difficult to predict electricity demand. Therefore, Vietnam needs to accelerate investment in energy storage technologies, rapid response power generation systems, and the development of HVDC high-voltage transmission networks to enhance system stability and mitigate risks from future weather factors.