Prime Minister Le Minh Hung ordered ministries, localities and relevant agencies to urgently implement measures to ensure sufficient electricity supplies from 2027 to 2030 and beyond. He stressed that power shortages must not occur under any circumstances.
The Government Office issued Official Dispatch No. 10790/VPCP-CN on October 22, conveying the Prime Minister's instructions to the Minister of Industry and Trade, secretaries of provincial and municipal Party committees, and chairpersons of provincial and municipal People's Committees.
The Prime Minister said national energy security and an adequate electricity supply are fundamental to achieving socio-economic development goals and constitute a particularly important political task for the entire political system.
In the immediate term, the ministry must direct and urge ministries, agencies and localities to expand self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power at households, offices, public buildings, and production and business establishments. It should also encourage battery energy storage systems to reduce peak-hour demand and increase on-site power self-sufficiency.
The ministry must propose rooftop solar development targets for each locality, particularly in northern provinces, specifying installation numbers and deadlines for operation. The proposal must be completed before October 30, and implementation results will be an important criterion for assessing ministry and local leaders.
It must also guide localities to introduce support policies in December for households installing self-produced and self-consumed solar systems. Investors must ensure that the Na Duong 2 and Quang Trach I thermal power plants are completed and begin commercial operation in 2026.
The ministry must accelerate eligible concentrated solar power projects, floating solar installations on hydropower reservoirs, and related grid infrastructure included in the revised Power Development Plan VIII. Priority should go to northern projects, including those at the Lai Chau and Son La hydropower reservoirs. Vietnam Electricity, or EVN, must study and invest in battery storage at substations and other suitable locations, with the systems scheduled to operate in 2027.
By December, the ministry, working with the Ministries of Finance and Justice and relevant agencies, must develop mechanisms and guidelines to accelerate energy storage development, especially rooftop solar combined with battery storage in industrial parks and clusters in northern provinces.
The Prime Minister called for stronger electricity-saving measures, requiring annual savings of at least 3% of national power consumption and at least 10% during peak hot-weather months from April to July. Demand management and load shifting must reduce peak-hour demand by at least 3,000 MW, while power losses across the system must fall below 6%.
For 2028–2030 and subsequent years, the ministry must work with the Ministry of Finance and major state-owned groups, including EVN, Petrovietnam and the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, to review power generation and transmission projects and assign clear implementation responsibilities.
The ministry must identify project delays, financing difficulties and obstacles requiring resolution. If necessary, it should propose using State budget funds for urgent power projects and report to the Prime Minister before October 30, 2026.
The Prime Minister warned against lax oversight after investment licences are issued and called for strict action against investors that delay projects or violate regulations. The ministry will be responsible if planned projects are not implemented or fail to enter operation on schedule. It will also bear final responsibility if electricity shortages occur under any circumstances.
Sources: VietnamPlus / Vietnam News Agency
