On June 6, 2025, at the Nhon Trach 4 Power Plant project site in Nhon Trach district, Dong Nai province, the First Firing event was successfully carried out.
First Firing is a crucial step in the construction and commissioning of a gas-fired power plant. It involves the initial startup of the gas turbine using actual fuel, indicating that most of the mechanical installations and control systems are complete. This event also provides an opportunity to assess the safety, stability, and performance of the unit before full-scale system synchronization tests.
Following the successful First Firing, the EPC Contractor Joint Venture plans to synchronize the Nhon Trach 4 Power Plant and conduct a system blow-through cleaning by the end of June 2025.
The First Firing event marks a significant transition in the project’s implementation from the single-unit installation and testing phase to the system synchronization and full-scale testing phase. This is a crucial step towards the commercial operation of the power plant, which is expected to commence in November 2025.
Inside the Nhon Trach 4 Power Plant.
The Nhon Trach 4 Power Plant plays a strategic role in enhancing the electricity supply for the national grid, particularly in the Southern region, where the demand for electricity is rapidly increasing.
The project also positively contributes to the government’s sustainable development agenda by promoting the transition to green and clean energy. It ensures energy security and supports long-term socio-economic development.
With a designed capacity of approximately 750 MW, the Nhon Trach 4 Power Plant utilizes advanced Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) technology. This technology combines gas and steam turbines, optimizing power generation efficiency while reducing greenhouse gas emissions, making it more environmentally friendly than traditional thermal power plants.
In the next phase, the project will undergo combined testing, performance verification, and acceptance to ensure technical and safety compliance before commercial operation.
Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plants.
Earlier, on May 17, 2025, the Nhon Trach 3 Power Plant, Vietnam’s first LNG-fired power plant, successfully achieved a technical milestone by operating continuously for 24 hours at the combined cycle base load with a maximum capacity of 812MW.
The Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Thermal Power Plants are key national projects invested by Vietnam Petroleum Power Corporation (PV Power) with a total investment of 1.4 billion USD. The EPC Contractor Joint Venture comprises Samsung C&T and Vietnam Machinery Installation Corporation (LILAMA).
The project boasts several leading indicators in Vietnam, including being the first and most modern project to use imported LNG fuel and the first to employ a 1:1:1 configuration (turbine – boiler – generator) in the country.
With a combined capacity of 1,624 MW, the two power plants feature state-of-the-art H-class gas turbines, the most advanced technology globally.
As Vietnam’s first thermal power project using liquefied natural gas (LNG), the Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Power Plants will provide 9-12 billion kWh of electricity per year upon completion. It is also the only LNG-fired power project out of 13 projects in the Power Development Plan VIII that has been implemented and operated as scheduled.
For Dong Nai province, the project is expected to generate revenues of VND 17,000 – 18,000 billion per year during its commercial operation.
