21-1-2023 (HANOI) The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) to review and submit a proposal to the Prime Minister regarding the importation of electricity from the Trong Son Wind Power Plant. The request includes additional planning for transmission lines. The proposed purchase price for electricity from this project is 6.95 cents/kWh, approximately equivalent to VND1,700/kWh.
The MoIT has confirmed that it has received a document seeking feedback from relevant ministries and localities regarding the purchase of wind power from the 250MW Trong Son Wind Power Plant in Bolikhamsai Province, Laos, to Vietnam. The proposal was put forth by EVN.
According to the ministry, the plant is expected to commence operations in the fourth quarter of 2025.
In an official statement, the MoIT explained, “To import electricity from this plant to Vietnam, a new 220kV double-circuit transmission line will be constructed. This transmission line will span 75km from the Trong Son Wind Power Plant’s 220kV substation, connecting to the 220kV busbar at the Do Long 220kV substation in the central Nghe An Province, Vietnam.”
To adhere to the project completion schedule in 2025, the Vietnam Laos Energy Investment and Development Corporation, the project’s investor, has submitted a document to EVN, proposing the sale of electricity from the Trong Son Wind Power Plant to Vietnam. The investor suggests investing in the entire grid connection project, which will link the plant to Vietnam’s power system using the project’s funds.
In a previous report to the MoIT, EVN stated that the governments of Laos and Vietnam had agreed to import 1,000MW of electricity from Laos to Vietnam by 2020. It is anticipated that the volume of imported electricity will reach approximately 3,000MW by 2025 and around 5,000MW by 2030. As of the end of October, the Prime Minister has approved the proposal to import electricity from various sources in Laos, with a total capacity of 2,689MW.
“The EVN has signed 19 power purchase agreements (PPA) to procure electricity from 26 Laotian power plants, with a combined capacity of 2,240MW. Among these projects, seven are already operational, with a total capacity of 806MW, and it is expected that an additional 1,171MW will be operational by 2025,” stated the MoIT.
However, the report highlights that the total approved capacity of electricity sources in Laos that can be imported into Vietnam and put into operation by 2025 is only approximately 1,977MW, significantly lower than the import scale outlined in the memorandum of understanding.
