Vietnam’s prime minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a 10 year national power development plan that targets the production and importing of 330 billion kWh by 2020.
Under the 2011-20 plan, 3% of this total will be imported. The remaining 97% will consist of 19.6% hydropower, 46.8% thermal power, 24% gas generated power, 4.5% renewable energy and 2.1% nuclear power.
The plan envisages developing the competitive power market with various forms of investment in building power plants and trading of electricity. Monopoly state control of the transmission line system will remain, to ensure national energy security.
Priority will be given to developing renewable energy sources including solar and wind power as well as energy production from biomass. The plan sses electricity production from renewable sources increasing from 3.5% in 2010 to 4.5% in 2020 and 6% in 2030.
By 2020, the first nuclear power plant in Viet Nam will be put into operation and in 10 years, the sector will produce an output equivalent to 10.1% of the country’s total.
The plan also aims to supply electricity to all families in the country’s rural areas by 2020.