Vietnam to ramp up electricity imports from China and Laos

Its domestic supply is running low as its power projects run behind schedule.

Vietnam is looking to purchase more electricity in the coming years from China and Laos as the domestic supply runs low, a report by Vietnam News Agency revealed.

According to deputy director of the Electricity and Renewable Energy Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Le Van Luc, Vietnam already imports about 1GW of power from China and Laos annually. Electricity imports from these two countries are expected to reach 3GW by 2025 and 5GW by 2030, he said.

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Meanwhile, many local power projects are lagging behind schedule, with almost all big- and medium-sized hydropower sources depleted, and only a few small ones for exploitation remaining.

“Therefore, hydropower will account for only 12.4% of all electricity supply by 2030. That will add a further complication to the supply shortage, according to the authority,” the report highlighted.

Power supply sources that can be put into use between 2016 and 2030 have total capacity of about 78.3GW, which is more than 17.5GW lower than the expected figure in a revised national electricity development plan.

Most of the shortage will fall in 2018-2022. “In particular, electricity reserves will be almost used up in 2018 and 2019, and power shortages will occur from 2021 to 2025,” the report noted.