Partner Hanoi
"The Revised PDP8 includes the capacity of existing rooftop solar power and renewable power for production of new energy."
Total capacity until 2030
Under the Revised PDP8, the total capacity of power plants for domestic consumption (i.e. excluding those developed for export purposes) up to 2030 is 183,291-236,363MW. Unlike the previous PDP8 (i.e. the power development plan issued under Decision 500/QD-TTg dated 15 May 2023 (“Decision 500 ”), the total capacity for domestic consumption under the Revised PDP8 includes the capacity of existing rooftop solar power and renewable power for production of new energy (e.g. green hydrogen and ammonia). The Revised PDP8 also outlines the increased capacity of renewable power for each region and province under Annex II.
Below is a summary of update in total capacity for domestic consumption of each type of power:
| Power source | Previous PDP8 | Revised PDP8 |
|---|---|---|
| Wind | • onshore wind: 21,880 MW • offshore wind: 6,000 MW | • onshore & nearshore wind: 26,066 – 38,029 MW • offshore wind: 6,000 – 17.032 MW, expected to be operational between 2030 -2035 |
| Solar | 12,836 MW (not including existing rooftop solar power) | 46,459MW – 73,416 MW (including concentrated and rooftop solar power) |
| Biomass, waste-to-power and other new sources | • biomass: 1,088 MW • waste-to-power: 1,182 MW | • biomass: 1,523-2,699 MW • waste-to-power: 1,441-2,137 MW • geothermal and other new sources: 45 MW |
| Hydropower | 29,346 MW | 33,294-34,667 MW |
| Hydro-pump storage | 2,400 MW | 2,400-6,000 MW |
| Battery storage | 300 MW | 10,000-16,300 MW |
| Co-firing | 2,700 MW | N/A |
| Nuclear | N/A | 4,000-6,400 MW |
| Coal | 30,127 MW | 31,055 MW |
| Domestic gas | 6,900 MW | 10,861 – 14,930 MW |
| LNG | 22,400 MW | 22,524 MW |
| Flexible source | 300 MW | 2,000-3,000 MW |
| Import | 5,000 MW from Laos | 9,360-12,100 MW from Laos and China (with a target of importing at least 8,000 MW from Laos) |
| Export | 5,000-10,000 MW | 5,000-10,000 MW to Singapore, Malaysia and other partners (up to 2035) |
"The instructions relating to solar power projects under the Revised PDP8 are substantially different from the PDP8 approved under Decision 500."
Updates for specific power sources
1. Direct power purchase agreement
The Revised PDP8 includes estimation that around 25% of the total capacity of the power system will be used for DPPA participation and production of new energy, serving large customers with consumption requirements of 1 million kWh per year or more. The development of DPPA projects will follow the Law on Electricity and its subordinate legislation.
2. Solar Power Development
The instructions relating to solar power projects under the Revised PDP8 are substantially different from the PDP8 approved under Decision 500, particularly:
| PDP8 under Decision 500 | Revised PDP8 |
|---|---|
| • total capacity to be developed until 2030: 4,100 MW (including 2,600 MW for self-consumption rooftop solar); • for projects which have been assigned to investors: a specific period of implementation will be determined under the PDP8 Implementation Plan following a compliance review for relevant assessment of security, economic impact and impact on the power system requirements; and • for projects which have not been assigned to investors: The projects will only be considered for implementation after 2030. The projects will, however, be approved for development on or before 2030 if they are implemented under a self-consumption mechanism. | • total capacity to be developed until 2030: 46,459 – 73,416 MW (including self-consumption and concentrated solar power); • does not include specific instructions for projects which have been assigned to investors or those which have not been assigned to investors; • concentrated solar power to be developed must integrate a storage system of at least 10% of the project’s installed capacity and the storage time being 2 hours; and • the list of concentrated solar power projects has been updated under Annex III (Table 14). |
"By 2030, estimated capacity is set at 6,000 MW, distributed across 12 offshore wind power projects."
3. LNG to power development
LNG to power projects
Under Table 1 of Annex III, there are some new LNG to power projects being updated into the Revised PDP8, including:
- for the period 2025 – 2030, in accordance with the commitment of Hai Phong and Ho Chi Minh City People Commitee, LNG Hai Phong Phase I and LNG Hiep Phuoc Phase II has been updated with the estimated capacity, respectively, 1600 MW and 1500 MW; and
- for the period 2031 – 2035 to serve the electricity supply for the Northern region, the following projects are updated:
- LNG Cong Thanh with a capacity of 1500 MW. This project may be accelerated to the period 2026 – 2030 depending on the demands of the power system (based on the Letter No. 5473/VPCP-CN dated 31 July 2024 of the Government Office addressing the conversion of the project from using coal to using LNG);
- LNG Hai Phong Phase II with a capacity of 3200 MW. This project also may be accelerated to the period 2025 – 2030 depending on the demands of the power system;
- LNG Vung Ang III with a capacity of 1500 MW; and
- LNG Quang Trach III with a capacity of 1500 MW.
It also provides the potential location for developing new LNG projects, including among others, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Nam Dinh, Vung Ang and Quang Binh. These locations will be considered for the development of new LNG to power projects as substitutes for any approved projects which fall behind schedule or cannot be implemented.
The Revised PDP8 specifically requires the LNG Ca Na Project, LNG Quynh Lap, LNG Nghi Son, LNG Long Son, LNG Bac Lieu and LNG Son My I&II projects to have solutions to ensure operational progress follow the approved plan.
In alignment with the direction of the Revised PDP8, the provincial authorities have made notable progress with the relevant projects. Particularly, per Decision No. 215/QĐ-UBND of Ninh Thuan Provincial People Commitee dated 14 April 2025, the LNG Ca Na Project will begin the procedure of selecting investor from the Q1 to Q4 2025. Meanwhile, the Nghe An Provincial People Committee has expedited the progress of approving the investment policy and selecting an investor for the LNG Quynh Lap Project.
Reserve Development LNG to power projects
Under Table 2 of Annex III, the Revised PDP8 updates five reserve development LNG to power projects for the period 2031 – 2035 with the estimated capacity of 1500 MW per project, including:
- LNG Quang Ninh 2;
- LNG Thai Binh Phase 2;
- LNG Hoa Binh Phase I;
- LNG Thanh Hoa; and
- Extended Ca Mau Power Plant 1&2.
However, these projects will only be implemented following approval from the competent authorities (i) to compensate for local power sources that are behind schedule or (ii) to address sudden consumption load increases.
4. Updated Hydro-pump storage
Under the Revised PDP8, plans for 18 hydro-pump storage power projects have been updated, covering 2025–2030 and 2031–2035. By 2030, 14 of these projects are expected to be operational, with a total estimated capacity of 6,277 MW. Looking ahead to 2035, the total capacity is projected to reach 10,372 – 10,972 MW, supported by the addition of eight more hydro-pump storage power projects. The details of projects (i.e. capacity, operation period and location) are specified in Table 9 of Annex III.
It is notable that the updated projects are determined based on prioritisation of proposals from local authorities. Development on a larger scale may be considered depending on the demands of the power system.
5. Nuclear Power Development
In accordance with the development of nuclear power, the Ninh Thuan 1&2 power plants are expected to commence operations between 2030 – 2035, with an estimated total capacity of 4000 – 6400 MW. This timeline can be accelerated if conditions are favourable as detailed in Table 10 of Annex III.
6. BESS Development
The Revised PDP8 has supplemented the list of Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) projects up to 2030 (which was not covered in the PDP under Decision 500). It also requires that any concentrated solar power to be developed must integrate a storage system of at least 10% of the project’s installed capacity with a two hour storage time. Any remaining battery storage capacity should be installed depending on operational demands.
With the total estimated capacity up to 2030 of 10,000-16,300 MW, the estimated BESS projects in 2025 – 2030 will include seven projects (with total estimated capacity is 31 MW) and (at least) 10% of the concentrated solar power projects that are required to intergrate storage system. Table 11 of Annex III provides the estimated BESS projects.
7. Offshore Wind Power Projects
The Revised PDP8 also requires that offshore wind power under development must include mechanisms to ensure operational progress according to the approved planning. The positioning coordinates of offshore wind power projects must comply with legal regulations and be determined during the project preparation phase, ensuring no overlap with other plans.
By 2030, estimated capacity is set at 6,000 MW, distributed across 12 offshore wind power projects, each with a capacity of 500 MW. Up to 2035, offshore wind power capacity is projected to increase significantly to 17,000 MW. The details of offshore wind power projects are specified under Table 17 and 18 of Annex III.
