Description

This is the conclusion of Deputy Prime Minister Lê Văn Thành at a conference, organized on 19^th November, to collect comments on completing the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) for the period 2021 – 2030 and vision 2050, announced the Government Office.

More specifically, the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) is assigned to implement the PDP8 in conformation to the reduction measures of greenhouse gases emissions, concerning the commitment of Vietnam at COP26 towards net-zero emissions by 2050. Notably, the coal-fired power planning after 2030 has to be reviewed in the direction towards fuel transition or no further development. Furthermore, it is also required to consider increasing scale and investigate mechanism and policy for development of offshore wind power. For solar energy, more study on mechanisms, policies, and solutions to more efficient and proper use including power storage technology is needed.

The draft PDP8 was first submitted Prime Minister in March this year and has gone through three revisions. The latest update in September faced controversial opinions, especially concerning the inclusion of coal-fired power in the total energy mix.

Related articles:
MoIT: minimizing coal power and increasing renewable energy in draft Power Development Plan VIII
Russian Energy Week: Vietnam develops no new coal power projects, focuses on clean & renewable energy
Study: Vietnam has the fastest increase of solar and wind power share in national electricity in ASEAN
Quảng Ninh: groundbreaking ceremony launched for the first LNG power plant in the North

Sources & further information: “Quy hoạch điện VIII: Không phát triển điện than sau 2030” at https://moitruong.net.vn,  “Quy hoạch điện VIII: Xem xét lại các dự án điện than sau năm 2030” at https://vnexpress.net, and “The Proposed Vietnam PDP8 Update and the Risks From the Coal Pivot” at https://energytracker.asia, accessed on 8 December 2021.