The Vietnamese government recently approved the revised Power Development Plan VIII, aiming to ensure sufficient electricity supply to support economic growth, targeting an average GDP increase of 10 percent per year during the 2026-2030 period and 7.5 percent annually between 2031 and 2050.
Under the plan, the country’s total electricity generation and imports are expected to rise to between 560.4 to 624.6 billion kWh by 2030.
In the first quarter of this year, Vietnam imported 1.33 billion kWh of electricity, equal to 1.8 percent of the total national power output. Electricity imports have steadily risen in recent years, reaching 5 billion kWh by the end of last year, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported.
By 2030, Vietnam plans to import between 9,360 and 12,100 MW of electricity from Laos and China, accounting for 4.0 to 5.1 percent of the country’s total power capacity. Under an intergovernmental agreement, Vietnam aims to maximise electricity imports from Laos and, if conditions permit, accelerate the process of bringing the electricity source from northern localities.
Early this year, the 500 kV Monsoon-Thanh My transmission line was officially put into use, facilitating Vietnam’s electricity import from Laos.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has set ceiling prices for electricity imported from Laos from December 31 this year. The maximum rates are 6.95 cents/kWh for hydropower and wind power, and 7.02 cents/kWh for coal-fired power, applicable to plants starting commercial operations from that date.