New proposal for direct electricity trading mechanism: More subjects, self-negotiation of prices

(Dan Tri) - The Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed a new mechanism for direct electricity trading, such as expanding the scope of participation in industrial and high-tech zones, etc., and allowing parties to negotiate prices through a separate grid connection.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade is seeking opinions on the draft Resolution of the National Assembly on mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties in national energy development in the 2026-2030 period.

The draft was drafted after the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to develop a National Assembly Resolution on mechanisms and policies to remove difficulties in national energy development in the 2026-2030 period according to the policies and orientations in Resolution 70 of the Politburo .

Accordingly, in the draft Resolution, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed a new mechanism for direct electricity trading. Specifically, if trading is done through a separate grid, the seller and buyer can negotiate the price themselves, as long as they ensure the recovery of generation, investment and operation costs.

In addition, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also proposed to expand the scope of participation. Accordingly, electricity retailers in industrial parks, economic zones, export processing zones, industrial clusters, high-tech zones, concentrated information technology zones, high-tech agricultural zones... will be allowed to participate in direct buying and selling.

This paves the way for many small and medium enterprises in industrial parks/clusters to indirectly enjoy the direct electricity purchase and sale mechanism through electricity retailers.

Wind and solar power fields in Khanh Hoa (Photo: Nam Anh).

In the draft currently being consulted, the Ministry of Industry and Trade is also flexible about the scale of large customers. Accordingly, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposes to specify the threshold of "large customers" to be eligible to participate, instead of applying a rigid threshold according to a certain capacity or electricity consumption output.

The direct electricity trading mechanism under Decree 57/2025 issued in March this year is expected to be a big boost for Vietnam's renewable energy market, helping businesses be more proactive about green electricity sources and reduce dependence on the national grid.

However, the actual implementation still reveals many shortcomings such as unclear price and cost frameworks; approval process, documents, and responsibilities of related parties do not have specific instructions...

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/kinh-doanh/de-xuat-moi-co-che-mua-ban-dien-truc-tiep-them-doi-tuong-tu-dam-phan-gia-20250925145756746.htm