On the afternoon of April 11, at the Government Headquarters, Deputy Prime Minister Bui Thanh Son, who also serves as the Head of the State Steering Committee for national key programs, projects, and energy sector initiatives, chaired the fourth meeting of the Committee.

During the session, representatives from EVN (Vietnam Electricity) and PVN (PetroVietnam) reported on the progress of eight national priority projects.

These include the 500kV Lao Cai – Vinh Yen transmission line; Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 thermal power plants and associated grid projects; power grid systems to evacuate electricity from power plants; projects within the Quang Trach power center; the Hoa Binh hydropower plant expansion; the Tri An hydropower plant expansion; the national grid power supply project for Con Dao District, Ba Ria – Vung Tau Province; the Lot B – O Mon gas-to-power chain; and the Blue Whale (Ca Voi Xanh) gas-to-power chain.

The Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that ministries, sectors, and localities must treat these eight projects as top political priorities.

These efforts are essential to ensuring sufficient electricity supply to support economic and social development for the 2025–2030 period, as well as to safeguard national energy security in an era of double-digit economic growth.

The Deputy PM noted that the Power Development Plan VIII already includes provisions for handling delayed projects that may hinder future electricity supply and energy security.

Therefore, he called on ministries, sectors, and local authorities to proactively resolve issues within their jurisdictions that arise during project implementation and to promptly report unresolved matters to the government.

“These eight critical projects are already included in Power Plan VIII. They must be urgently and rigorously implemented on schedule to set a standard for future project revisions,” the Deputy PM stressed.

Obstacles in site clearance

Currently, some projects still face challenges related to compensation and site clearance, such as the Nhon Trach 3 and Nhon Trach 4 thermal power plants and their associated transmission lines.

Meanwhile, PetroVietnam is handling financial settlement issues and preparing next steps for the Long Phu 1 thermal power plant project.

Regarding the Quang Trach 1 thermal power plant project, the Quang Binh Provincial People's Committee has actively directed site clearance efforts. However, several areas remain unresolved, including the ash disposal site, the dredged material storage area for the coal import port component, and the resettlement work.

Quang Binh’s provincial leadership stated that the area hosts two projects - Quang Trach 1 and Quang Trach 2 - with a combined capacity of 3,000 MW. For Quang Trach 1, the investor is striving to fire up Unit 1 with fuel oil by National Day this year.

As for Quang Trach 2, the investor is finalizing the feasibility report with plans to begin construction in 2026.

The province has already handed over some components to the investor, but the dredged material storage area for the coal port has not yet been transferred. The province has pledged to hand over the site by May 2025.

The Vinh