Need a clear legal corridor for clean electricity

(Chinhphu.vn) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade is advising the Government to issue Decree 57 on the direct electricity sales mechanism and Decree 58 on wind power and offshore power development, while also building a price framework for renewable energy under the direction of Resolution 70. It is expected that by the end of 2025, the legal corridor for clean electricity will be completed, creating favorable conditions for businesses to invest.

Mr. Tran Hoai Trang, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department ( Ministry of Industry and Trade ): The power system is still operating stably, but there are huge challenges ahead - Photo: BTC

On the afternoon of October 8, Construction Newspaper organized a discussion on "Finding a way for clean electricity - Untangling policy bottlenecks, unleashing energy". The discussion took place in the context of the requirement to ensure national energy security becoming one of the country's top strategic tasks, closely linked to the goals of economic growth, social stability and sustainable development.

According to Resolution 70-NQ/TW of the Politburo , ensuring energy security until 2030, with a vision to 2045, still faces many shortcomings: Policies and laws have not kept up with reality, administrative procedures are complicated, and resource mobilization mechanisms are not synchronized. These are bottlenecks that need to be resolved soon to serve the GDP growth target of over 8% in 2025 and towards double-digit growth in the 2026-2030 period.

Speaking at the seminar, Mr. Tran Hoai Trang, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that as of September 2025, the total electricity consumption nationwide reached about 241.5 billion kWh, an increase of 3.4% over the same period in 2024 but only reached nearly 70% of the yearly plan. Meanwhile, August 4 recorded a record consumption of 1.084 billion kWh, an increase of 6.3% over the same period last year, showing increasing pressure on electricity supply.

Mr. Trang emphasized that the power system is still operating stably, but there are huge challenges ahead. Unpredictable climate change has severely affected the production of hydropower, wind power, and solar power; while electricity demand will increase rapidly along with GDP growth.

"With the target of double-digit economic growth, the electricity industry must grow at least 1.5 times faster than it is now. We need to forecast and invest early in base power sources such as LNG, nuclear power, and renewable power to ensure adequate supply," said Mr. Trang.

In addition, the socio-economic development under the two-tier government model, along with the formation of new industrial zones, is changing the load distribution. This requires reviewing and adjusting many electricity, land and mineral planning to synchronize energy infrastructure.

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Energy Association, warned that the risk of power shortage in the period 2026-2030 is very high - Photo: BTC

Lack of mechanism, difficulty in mobilizing resources

Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, Vice President of the Vietnam Energy Association, warned that the risk of power shortage in the 2026-2030 period is very high. According to him, the target of the 8th Power Plan is to set a commercial electricity output of 500-557 billion kWh by 2030, which is nearly double the current level. "To achieve that target, the capital demand is extremely large, and the State budget cannot meet it. To have capital, there must be a policy mechanism that is open enough to attract investment," Mr. Tuan said.

Sharing the same view, Mr. Ha Dang Son, Director of the Center for Energy and Green Growth Research, said that Vietnam must double its electricity capacity in the next 5 years. Currently, the total capacity of new sources is more than 90,000 MW, but in the past 10 years, almost no major projects have been implemented, causing the next period to face a "dangerous delay".

According to Mr. Son, there are currently more than 170 renewable energy projects stuck in procedures. "Resolution 70 has set out directions for resolving these issues, but for clear changes, more specific resolutions from the Government or the National Assembly are needed. If not handled promptly, a source-load imbalance may occur as early as 2026," Mr. Son warned.

Faced with the above reality, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is advising the Government to issue Decree 57 on the mechanism for direct electricity sales and Decree 58 on wind power and offshore power development; at the same time, build a price framework for renewable energy according to the direction of Resolution 70. It is expected that by 2025, the legal corridor for clean electricity will be completed, creating favorable conditions for businesses to invest.

Notably, the Ministry is also studying a mechanism to support households in developing rooftop solar power. From 2030, it is expected that up to 14 million households will use solar power, with a total capacity of 3-5 kW per household, accounting for about 16% of the total system capacity.

Regarding the progress of policy completion, Mr. Tran Hoai Trang said: "The Ministry of Industry and Trade is urgently revising decrees and circulars according to simplified procedures, expected to be completed before December 2025. Regarding the Government guarantee mechanism, the Ministry will select important and urgent projects, focusing on loan guarantees, supporting site clearance and land conversion."

The guarantee mechanism will be built in accordance with international regulations and Vietnamese law to both support investors and ensure compliance with international commitments.

Anh Tho

Source: https://baochinhphu.vn/can-hanh-lang-phap-ly-thong-suot-cho-dien-sach-102251008191732499.htm