State utility EVN asked to propose more transmission lines from Laos

By Minh Hue
Mon, December 11, 2023 | 11:57 am GMT+7

State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) should propose new transmission lines from Laos to Vietnam to increase electricity imports from the neighboring country, said Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien.

At a Saturday meeting, the minister also required EVN to submit to the government the price mechanism for electricity imported from Laos in the first quarter of 2024.

“This will supplement power supplies for northern Vietnam, especially during the peak dry season, where there are no new large power projects set to be put into operation until 2025,” he said.

State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) leaders inspect the construction of a transmission line project from Laos to Vietnam. Photo courtesy of EVN.

State utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) leaders inspect the construction of a transmission line project from Laos to Vietnam. Photo courtesy of EVN.

Currently, electricity imported from Laos is transmitted through 220 kV lines. At the end of September 2023, EVN poured more than VND1.1 trillion ($45.46 million) into the 45-kilometer 500 kV Monsoon-Thanh My line (section on Vietnamese territory) to transmit electricity from Laos to Vietnam. Also that month, the group proposed the Ministry of Industry and Trade allow the acceleration of electricity imports from Laos.

Under the newly approved Power Development Plan VIII and the Vietnam-Laos cooperation agreement signed in 2019, Vietnam will buy 3,000 MW of electricity from Laos by 2025 and about 5,000 MW by 2030. The import volume could increase to 8,000 MW if conditions allow.

The Prime Minister has signed off for six power plants to import electricity from Laos, with a total capacity of 449 MW, Dien added.

Vietnam imports electricity from Laos due to competitive prices compared to some domestic sources. For example, the price of electricity purchased from Lao hydroelectric plants is about 6.95 U.S cents per kWh, 2-30% lower than domestic sources.

In first the 11 months of 2023, Vietnam imported nearly 4 billion kWh from Laos and China, accounting for 1.5% of the entire system's output.

Comments (0)
  • Read More
Vietnam's benchmark VN-Index could surpass 2,000 points in 2026: exec

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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 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

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

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

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

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