Unblocking Obstacles for Key Energy Sector Projects
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The Government Office has issued Notification No. 402/TB-VPCP, conveying the conclusions of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at the third meeting of the State Steering Committee for key national and energy sector programs, projects, and constructions.
The notification states that, in the past period, ministries, sectors, Provincial People’s Committees, and corporations have actively implemented the directions of the Deputy Prime Minister and Head of the Steering Committee from the second meeting, as per Notification No. 117/TB-VPCP dated March 25, 2024, of the Government Office. Many tasks have been completed and addressed; the progress of investment and construction in some projects, especially key and urgent ones, has achieved noteworthy results. Examples include the completion and energization of the 500 kV power line, Circuit 3, from Quang Trach (Quang Binh) to Pho Noi (Hung Yen), resolving difficulties in channel construction for the Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 thermal power projects, and successful negotiations with Power Machines regarding the Long Phu 1 project…
However, some challenges and obstacles remain in implementing the schemes and projects due to certain mechanisms and policies that are not yet suitable, as well as delays in drafting, amending, and supplementing legal documents. Land clearance work has also been slow and faced prolonged obstacles.
To address these issues and ensure the progress of the projects, the Deputy Prime Minister requested that, in the coming time, ministries, sectors, localities, and related agencies and members of the Steering Committee focus on resolving difficulties and obstacles within their authority to accelerate the schemes and projects, thereby ensuring energy security and promoting the country’s socio-economic development.
Creating a Legal Corridor for Project Investment
The Deputy Prime Minister asked ministries and sectors to continue proactively studying and proposing amendments and supplements to laws, decrees, and relevant legal documents according to their functions and tasks. This will establish a legal framework for investing in and constructing the schemes and projects, especially the pilot project for offshore wind power development, handling projects with slow progress, and mechanisms for gas-fired power development. Reports are to be submitted to the Government for presentation to the National Assembly, in accordance with the law, for matters under the National Assembly’s authority.
Ministries, sectors, and Provincial People’s Committees are to proactively handle difficulties and obstacles within the scope of their state management functions related to the implementation of the projects. They should actively remove obstacles and speed up project progress, reporting to the Government and Prime Minister matters beyond their authority.
On Developing Gas-fired Power Projects
The Deputy Prime Minister directed that, at present, gas-fired power projects face common obstacles related to regulations on the mechanism for committing output volume and pricing between electricity and gas. These issues are not yet stipulated in current legal documents and fall under the authority of the National Assembly. The Prime Minister has assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to study and propose institutionalization to address practical difficulties in gas-fired power projects during the drafting of the amended Law on Electricity (Office of the Government document No. 5045/VPCP-CN dated July 17, 2024). If necessary, the Ministry of Industry and Trade should urgently submit a proposal for a law amending multiple laws to the Ministry of Planning and Investment for synthesis and reporting to the Government, as directed by Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in document No. 5185/VPCP-CN dated August 29, 2024, of the Government Office.
The Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to promptly finalize and issue a Circular amending and supplementing Circular No. 45/2018/TT-BCT dated November 15, 2018, of the Minister of Industry and Trade, regulating the operation of the wholesale electricity market, and a Circular amending and supplementing Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT dated November 30, 2016, regulating the transmission grid system. If necessary, the Ministry of Industry and Trade should coordinate with the Ministry of Justice to study and propose to the Prime Minister permission to build a Circular amending and supplementing Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT in a simplified form according to the Law on Promulgation of Legal Documents.
Ensuring Power Evacuation for Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plants by the End of 2025
Regarding the Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plants and the synchronous grid projects for power evacuation from these plants, the Deputy Prime Minister assigned the Government Office to send a document to the Chairman of the People’s Committee of Dong Nai province, requesting the direction to handle difficulties and obstacles in land clearance for the synchronous grid projects. It is necessary to strive to hand over the land in October 2024 to soon complete the projects and ensure the evacuation of power from the Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plants by the end of 2025.
Resolving Difficulties for Quang Trach 1 and 2 Thermal Power Projects
The Deputy Prime Minister assigned the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province to direct the resolution of difficulties and obstacles related to land clearance, creating favorable conditions for the investor in the construction of the Quang Trach 1 Thermal Power Project, ensuring progress as directed by the Prime Minister. They should also soon consider and approve the adjustment of the investment policy for the Quang Trach 2 Thermal Power Project according to regulations to implement the next steps.
The Vietnam Electricity Corporation is to work with the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province to soon complete land clearance and have a plan to accelerate the construction of items, ensuring the progress and quality of the Quang Trach 1 Thermal Power Project. They should also coordinate with the People’s Committee of Quang Binh province in approving the adjustment of the investment policy for the Quang Trach 2 Thermal Power Project.
Finalizing the Pilot Project for Offshore Wind Power Development
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is to take the lead, coordinate with ministries, sectors, corporations, and enterprises to continue urgently reviewing, building, and finalizing the pilot project for offshore wind power development according to the conclusions of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha in Notification No. 42/TB-VPCP dated February 5, 2024, Notification No. 117/TB-VPCP dated March 25, 2024, and Notification No. 356/TB-VPCP dated July 30, 2024, of the Government Office.
The project should propose specific projects, investors, and implementation timelines, and then recommend solutions and mechanisms and policies to ensure the implementation of the projects, including the stages of surveying, exploration, evaluation, planning, technology, and issues related to national defense and security. The proposal should also cover the authority for decision-making, followed by the approval of investment policies, selection of investors, and infrastructure development. The Ministry of Industry and Trade should study and report further on offshore wind power models, including cooperation models with foreign partners, based on the opinions and recommendations of foreign organizations and investors, to finalize the project and report to the Government in September 2024.
Regarding the implementation of the Power Development Plan 8, the Deputy Prime Minister requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to implement the direction of Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha at the online conference with localities on issuing supplements and updates to the Plan for implementing the Power Development Plan 8, as per Notification No. 396/TB-VPCP dated August 21, 2024, of the Government Office. Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is to urgently coordinate with localities to review the list and send it to the Ministry of Public Security for comment on the 154 projects that are still facing obstacles, for synthesis and reporting to the competent authority for consideration and decision.
For the handling of power source projects with slow progress or delays in implementation, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is assigned to coordinate with the Ministry of Planning and Investment and the Ministry of Justice to direct localities and investors to review and report specific statistics on each project with slow progress, the time of delay, and the reasons for the delay. This will be used to propose solutions and authority for handling, including considering the retrieval of projects in accordance with the law, reporting to the Government and Prime Minister before September 30, 2024.
Developing a Proposal to Ensure Sufficient Power Supply for the Country in the Next Phase
The Ministry of Industry and Trade is to study and develop a proposal to ensure sufficient power supply for the country in the next phase. This should include calculating and forecasting power demand in the coming time, determining the power source structure, analyzing the impact of slow-progress power source projects on power supply, and proposing solutions (including the development of expanded hydropower projects, rooftop solar power projects, solar power on water, and electricity storage) and implementation mechanisms (including special mechanisms if necessary) to synchronously and effectively implement the projects and mobilize the resources of economic components (clarifying the role of state corporations in project implementation). The goal is to ensure sufficient power supply for the economy, reporting to the Government and Prime Minister for consideration and decision in September 2024.
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