Northern Vietnam province seeks power plant fuel shift from coal to LNG
Nam Dinh province is seeking approval to have its $2.2 billion Nam Dinh 1 power plant, currently a build-operate-transfer (BOT) project, shift to using LNG instead of coal as its fuel.
In a document seeking approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, authorities in the northern province said the move aimed to facilitate Vietnam fulfilling its net-zero emissions by 2050 commitment made at the COP 26.
The move was also in line with the latest national power development plan, PDP VIII, and has the support of the province’s residents, they said.
A thermal power plant in Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Vietnam News Agency.
The BOT project, with a capacity of 1,109.4 MW, was granted an investment certificate in July 2017 by the Ministry of Planning and Investment.
State mining giant Vinacomin was designated coal supplier for the project, which was the fourth BOT thermal power project in Vietnam then.
The project, covering 242.7 hectares in Hai Hau district, was slated to start construction in 2018. However, issues related to power purchase agreement and restructuring of investment has stalled the project. South Korea’s Taekwang Power and Saudi Arabia’s Acwa Power were the project investors, but the latter has withdrawn its participation.
The project features in the PDP VIII as a priority project. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has been asked to extend the project deadlines, but take steps to terminate it in June 2024 if no progress is made.
In October 2023, Thailand’s Gulf Energy Development Public Company Limited expressed its willingness to reignite the project. In particular, the Thai firm urged Nam Dinh authorities to connect Gulf Energy with Taekwang Power to transform the project from a coal-fired power plant to one fired by LNG.
The request aligned with Gulf Energy’s plan to build a 1,500-3,000MW LNG power center project and an LNG terminal capable of accommodating ships of up to 200,000 cubic meters.
Vietnam currently has no LNG-to-power plant in operation. The LNG-fired Nhon Trach 3 and 4 power plants in the southern province of Dong Nai are the only such projects under construction in the country. They are expected to become operational soon.
- Related News
- Read More
Vietnam's benchmark VN-Index could surpass 2,000 points in 2026: exec
VN-Index could top 2,000 points next year, said Huynh Minh Tuan, founder of FIDT - a Ho Chi Minh City-based investment consulting firm.
Finance - Thu, October 23, 2025 | 10:55 am GMT+7
Key factors helping firms export to demanding markets: DH Foods exec
Don’t treat business as a week-to-week or month-to-month affair. To go the distance, you must conduct business ethically, writes Nguyen Trung Dung, CEO of DH Foods.
Consulting - Thu, October 23, 2025 | 8:00 am GMT+7
Gold exchange, gold derivatives, gold ETFs proposed to be launched in Vietnam
Forming a gold exchange under state management in Vietnam is suitable to the reality, said Dao Xuan Tuan, head of the foreign exchange management department under the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV).
Finance - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 9:00 pm GMT+7
Real estate major Novaland wins key approval for $5 bln project in central Vietnam
Novaland Group (HoSE: NVL), one of Vietnam’s leading property developers, has received investment approval for its flagship project worth $5 billion in the central province of Lam Dong after years of delay due to legal obstacles.
Real Estate - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 4:20 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's plastics heavyweights Tien Phong, Binh Minh report profit surges
Tien Phong Plastic (HNX: NTP) recorded pre-tax profit of nearly VND949 billion ($36.04 million) in the first nine months of the year, exceeding its full-year target by 10.85%, while Binh Minh Plastic (HoSE: BMP) achieved record net profit of VND350 billion ($13.29 million) in Q3, surpassing its VND330 billion milestone set in the previous quarter.
Companies - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 4:17 pm GMT+7
Vietnam, Finland firms sign multiple MoUs on satellite, cybersecurity, aviation partnerships
A series of cooperation agreements were signed between Vietnam and Finland on Tuesday, within the framework of Party chief To Lam's official visit to Helsinki, while bilateral relationship was lifted to a "strategic partnership".
Economy - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 12:43 pm GMT+7
Trung Nam Ca Na seeks to convert agri-forest land for $147 mln industrial park in central Vietnam
Industrial park developer Trung Nam Ca Na is seeking approval to convert about 170 hectares of agricultural and forest land for the construction of a VND3,875 billion ($147 million) project in Vietnam’s central coastal province of Khanh Hoa.
Industrial real estate - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 10:54 am GMT+7
PV Power's arm posts 5-fold jump in Q3 profit on margin recovery
PetroVietnam Power Nhon Trach 2 JSC (HoSE: NT2) reported a sharp rebound in third-quarter earnings as improved margins and higher revenue lifted profits nearly fivefold from a year earlier.
Companies - Wed, October 22, 2025 | 8:37 am GMT+7
TCBS overtakes SSI to become Vietnam’s largest securities company by market cap
Over 2.3 billion shares of Techcom Securities JSC (TCBS) debuted on the Ho Chi Minh City Stock Exchange (HoSE) on Tuesday. The stock, TCX, recorded the highest price and the largest market capitalization in the Vietnamese securities sector.
Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 10:27 pm GMT+7
Indonesia’s palm oil industry becomes investment magnet
Indonesia’s palm oil sector attracted IDR52.7 trillion, or approximately $3.2 billion, in investment during the first nine months of this year, with the money going into enabling the country to capture more value out of its top commodity, the country’s Ministry of Investment reported.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:34 pm GMT+7
Indonesia reports strong job, investment growth
The Indonesian Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs reported strong job and investment growth during the first year of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, compared with the first year under his predecessor.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:29 pm GMT+7
Singapore grants conditional approval for 1GW low-carbon power import from Malaysia
Singapore has granted conditional approval to import 1 GW of low-carbon electricity from the Malaysian state of Sarawak, marking a new phase in the energy partnership between the two countries.
Southeast Asia - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 9:26 pm GMT+7
Margin lending in Vietnam’s stock market hits record, but not worrisome
Despite margin debt in Vietnam’s stock market surging sharply, experts believe that current margin pressure is not yet a major concern as top securities firms have significantly strengthened their capital buffers.
Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 4:23 pm GMT+7
Lenders in Vietnam now in low-rate lending race: ACB exec
The biggest “headache” for banks in Vietnam now is that profit margins are getting thinner, said CEO of Asia Commercial Bank (ACB) Tu Tien Phat.
Banking & Finance - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 4:00 pm GMT+7
PV Gas - 35 years of innovation and technological leadership in Vietnam’s gas industry
Over the past 35 years of establishment and development (1990-2025), PV Gas, a subsidiary of state-owned giant Petrovietnam, has affirmed its pioneering position in Vietnam’s gas industry, marked by a series of groundbreaking achievements in science and technology.
Companies - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 3:45 pm GMT+7
Vietnam's consumer finance major F88 achieves 90% of year's profit target after 9 months
F88 Investment JSC (F88), a leading consumer finance company in Vietnam, reported a cumulative pre-tax profit of VND603 billion ($22.88 million) in the first nine months of 2025, a 2.5-fold increase year-on-year, reaching 90% of its full-year target of VND673 billion.
Companies - Tue, October 21, 2025 | 3:15 pm GMT+7
