Northern Vietnam LNG-to-power project likely to receive in-principle approval by Nov

Thai Binh province is trying to deliver in-principle approval for a 1,500 MW LNG-to-power project by November.

Thai Binh province is trying to deliver in-principle approval for a 1,500 MW LNG-to-power project by November.

Thai Binh Chairman Nguyen Khac Than made the request at a Thursday meeting to review the project's progress. The future plant, located in Thai Thuy district, will play an important role in the province’s socioeconomic growth, so Than asked relevant agencies to push the project forward.

Thai Binh's Chairman Nguyen Khac Than (right) and Vice Chairman Lai Van Hoan at a meeting on the LNG-to-power project in the northern province, September 14, 2023. Photo courtesy of Thai Binh newspaper.

So far, the Thai Binh LNG-to-power project has been added to the provincial planning, meanwhile the draft planning of the economic zone for the project has been submitted to authorities for approval. The project is now compiling a 1-to-2000 ratio draft plan.

In November 2022, Japan's Tokyo Gas and Kyuden Group inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Truong Thanh Vietnam JSC on jointly developing this project. The MoU was signed at the Asia Green Growth Partnership Ministerial Meeting (AGGPM) in Japan.

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

The Thai Binh LNG-to-power project is featured on a list of priority LNG projects for development by 2035 in the newly-approved power development plan VIII (PDP VIII). The other projects are Quang Ninh (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).