Vietnam plans to increase electricity imports from China, Laos by 2030

The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) aims to raise electricity imports from China and Laos by 3,000 MW and 2,500 MW by 2030, over 5 times and nearly 1.6 times higher than those stated in the current Power Development Plan VIII (PDP VIII), respectively.

In the draft revised PDP VIII, which is seeking public feedback, the ministry calculates that Vietnam's electricity system needs to reach 210,000 MW by 2030 and 840,000 MW by 2050, up 35% and 50%, respectively, compared to the approved plan.

According to the MoIT, the government targets double-digit growth in the coming years to achieve the goal of becoming a high-income country by 2045. To realize this, the annual electricity growth demand is expected to be around 12-14%.

In addition to domestic sources such as hydropower, gas power, and renewable energy, imported electricity is one of the options to meet energy demand serving the high growth target in the coming time.

According to the ministry’s scenario, imported electricity could account for 5% of the total installed electricity capacity by 2030, 1.7% higher than the current plan and up 4% from the end of 2024.

In response to this adjustment, the ministry proposes importing about 3,700 MW of electricity from China by 2030, an increase of 3,000 MW compared to the current plan.

In fact, state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) is negotiating to increase electricity purchases from China by 2.4 billion kWh, with a capacity of 730 MW, until 2026. From 2027-2028, the purchase may rise to approximately 19 billion kWh and 4,100 MW per year, respectively.

EVN is also considering purchasing an additional 3,000 MW from China through a station at the Vietnam-China border, with an annual output of 15 billion kWh.

If this plan is approved, the electricity from China will be connected to the 500 kV Lao Cai substation, with the main capacity released through the 500 kV Lao Cai-Vinh Yen transmission line, which is expected to operate in early 2026.

Besides China, Vietnam also plans to increase electricity imports from Laos, aiming to reach 6,800 MW by 2030 under a high-growth scenario, nearly 1.6 times higher than the current capacity in the approved PDP VIII.

The MoIT said that Vietnam is capable of importing electricity from these two neighboring countries, as both have surplus supply, especially hydropower, and are planning to export.

In recent years, the volume of imported electricity has steadily increased, hitting 5 billion kWh by the end of 2024. In 2021, however, the amount dropped to about 1.4 billion kWh due to the temporary halt in imports from China.

Currently, Vietnam imports about 1,000 MW of electricity from Laos through 220 kV interconnected transmission lines. According to the agreement between the two governments, the total import capacity from Laos is expected to climb to 5,000-8,000 MW by 2030.

Electricity from China is purchased via two 220 kV transmission lines, Malungtang-Ha Giang and Maquan-Lao Cai, during the dry season, with a total capacity of about 550 MW and an output of 2-3 billion kWh per year.