Chinese giant seeks to collaborate with Vietnam's energy heavyweights in nuclear power

China Power Engineering Consulting Group Corporation (CPECC) is seeking to collaborate with Vietnam's state-owned energy giants Petrovietnam (PVN) and Vietnam Electricity (EVN) in nuclear power.

In a Monday statement, EVN said leaders of CPECC and EVN recently had a meeting in Hanoi to discuss collaboration.

CPECC has joined 32 nuclear power projects in China and is preparing to raise its capacity to 60 GW in the next 10 years, the Chinese firm highlighted.

CPECC also emphasized its solutions to reduce emissions and improve the capacity and flexibility of coal-fired power plants. The solutions can help coal-fired power continue its key role as baseload for the national electricity system, it added.

For his part, Dang Hoang An, chairman of EVN said the state utility would consult with Vietnamese authorities to facilitate energy investments, amid the growing demand for electricity and the trend of energy transition.

At a meeting last week, PVN chairman Le Manh Hung urged CPECC to share nuclear power experiences as the Vietnamese energy group is studying this sector.

He noted that PVN will expand its activities beyond traditional activities of oil and gas to new sectors, such as carbon capture, utilization, storage (CCUS), LNG, green hydrogen, green ammonia, and offshore wind power.

In reply, CPECC said it is willing to cooperate with PVN in offshore wind power, renovation of thermal power plants, and renewable-green energy.

In February 2025, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh assigned state-owned groups EVN and PVN to be investors of Ninh Thuan 1 and 2 nuclear power plants, respectively.

The PM also requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to coordinate with relevant agencies to get nuclear power plants built towards completion by end-2030, or end-2031 at the latest.

Many countries have expressed their willingness to coooperate with Vietnam in nuclear power, such as South Korea, Russia, Japan, and France.