First northern Vietnam LNG power plant eyes 2027 opening

The $1.9 billion, 1,500 MW LNG Quang Ninh power plant, the first such facility in northern Vietnam, is expected to begin operations in the third quarter of 2027.

The 60-hectare plant in Cam Pha town, the northern coastal province of Quang Ninh, designed for an annual output of nine billion kWh, is jointly invested in by PV Power, a subsidiary of of state-owned Petrovietnam; Quang Ninh-based Vietnam Mechanical Assembly JSC (Colavi); and two Japanese firms – Tokyo Gas and Marubeni.

The project is expected to contribute VND57.7 trillion ($2.43 billion) to the local budget over 25 years while strengthening the national power network and reducing emissions.

The plant will use 1.1 million tons of imported LNG yearly. It will have two turbines of 750 MW each, one LNG terminal to host ships of up to 71,500 deadweight tonnage (DWT), two 100,000 cubic meter LNG storage facility, 3.5 kilometers of pipelines to transport LNG between the terminal and storage facilities, and 30 kilometers of 500 kV transmission lines between the factory and the Quang Ninh power transformer.

The plant is included in the newly-approved power development plan VIII (PDP VIII) as a priority project. Quang Ninh province has completed procedures related to the selection of investors, sea channels and land use, and is processing those related to fire prevention, power connection and electricity sales, among other things. The province aims at completing the project’s pre-feasibility study in the fourth quarter of this year.

The project investors plan to complete the installation of the first turbine in April 2027 and the second turbine in June 2027.

State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), the nation’s sole power distributor, is yet to approve a plan to connect the plant to the national grid.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Transport has approved the addition of an LNG terminal to the northern region seaport development plan (until 2030).

Vietnam has no LNG power plants operational at present. PV Power’s Nhon Trach 3 & 4 power plants, with a combined capacity of 1.6 GW, are Vietnam’s first LNG-to-power projects. These are under construction in the southern province of Dong Nai near Ho Chi Minh City

The freshly approved Power Development Plan VIII (PDP VIII) is expected to open a new chapter for Vietnam's electricity industry, with gas to become a key fuel in 2021-2030. The list of priority LNG projects for development by 2035, contained in Table 1 of Appendix II of the national plan, include: Quang Ninh (1,500 MW); Thai Binh (1,500 MW); Nghi Son (1,500 MW); Quang Trach II (1,500 MW); Quynh Lap/Nghi Son (1,500 MW); Hai Lang Phase 1 (1,500 MW); Ca Na (1,500 MW); Long Son (1,500 MW); Hiep Phuoc Phase 1 (1,200 MW); Long An I (1,500 MW); Long An II (1,500 MW); and Bac Lieu (3,200 MW).