Vietnam’s first LNG-fired power plant conducts first fire

Nhon Trach 3, part of Vietnam’s first LNG-fired power project Nhon Trach 3 & 4, conducted its “first-fire” on Saturday, a major step towards commercial operation.

In a statement, the project investor, PV Power, said the “first fire” was the first time that LNG had been supplied to the equipment at the power factory for power generation. The milestone reflected the power plant was 95% complete.

PV Power president cum CEO Le Nhu Linh said the “first fire” at Nhon Trach 3 could help the company draw experience to put both power plants into commercial operation this year.

PV Power is the main investor of the 1,600 MW, $1.4 billion Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 complex in the southern province of Dong Nai. It is expected to provide nine billion kWh of electricity to the national grid annually.

Vietnam is yet to have a power plant that exclusively uses LNG as fuel. Some gas-fired power plants like Phu My 3, Phu My 2.1, and Phu My 4 switched to using LNG as fuel on some occasions in 2024.

In October 2024, PV Power, a subsidiary of state-owned Petrovietnam, signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with a state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) subsidiary for the output of Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 power plants.

Currently, PV Power and PV Gas, another arm of Petrovietnam, are negotiating a gas sales agreement (GSA) for long-term gas supply for the LNG-fired power plants.