VIETNAM, July 15 - A worker of Điện Biên Power Company, an affiliate of Vietnam Electricity, checks a power transmission line. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Tư

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính told the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) not to delay or slow down the progress of projects, insisting they have the highest determination and carry out all assigned task.

He was speaking during a meeting held this week to review EVN’s progress during the first half of the year.

The PM believes that by speeding up the implementation of key projects, national energy security will be ensured, aiding the country’s overall economic development.

He said: “The most important requirement for the electricity industry in 2022 and the following years is to ensure electricity supply for the country's socio-economic development and they must absolutely create no power shortage, and no energy crisis.”

The PM added the industry must be developed sustainably, efficiently, transparently, and with healthy competition.

Regarding the specific recommendations of EVN to ensure financial balance for the industry, he assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) and the Commission for the Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC) to direct the Vietnam Coal-Mineral Industry Group and Northeast Corporation to strengthen cost-saving measures to reduce domestic coal mining costs.

At the same time, the PM told them they must ensure and consider increasing the supply of sufficient coal for power production under signed contracts.

Chính assigned the MoIT to consider and handle the proposal on the mechanism of non-compensation for capacity with hydropower plants and told the EVN to review, report, and make specific proposals to ministries on forest environmental fees and water resource tax.

Since the beginning of 2022, higher prices for electricity production have negatively influenced power costs, according to EVN, adding they have spared no effort to cut costs, and flexibly operate the national power grid with a view to avoiding raising retail sales prices of electricity.

Earlier, the Government chief assigned the MoIT to review and accelerate power procurement with Laos by 2025, underlining the need to resolve obstacles in wind power prices for new projects in accordance with market mechanisms and prevent negative behaviour and corruption.

Last week, MoIT issued Document No 3787/BCT-DL reporting to the Prime Minister on the review of some contents of the Power Development Plan VIII, in which it suggested continuing the implementation of the current 452.62MW and the other ongoing projects with the capacity of 1,975.8MW by 2030. It also proposed to extend the progress of planned but unapproved projects with a total capacity of 4,136.25MW to the period after 2030.

According to the draft of PDP VIII, LNG projects are expected to develop with a total capacity of 23,900MW, accounting for 16.4 per cent of the total capacity by 2030.

It suggested allowing and prioritising without limitation on the scale of the project capacity, regardless of the existing capacity structure of the planning the development of the form of self-production, self-use, not generating electricity on the grid; or power projects produced by new forms of energy. — VNS