Vietnam leads ASEAN in installed power capacity in 2021

Vietnam’s total installed power capacity totalled 76,620 MW in 2021, 7,500 MW higher than the previous year, and the highest among ASEAN member states, said CEO of the Vietnam Electricity (EVN) Tran Dinh Nhan at the company’s year-end meeting on January 14.

An offshore wind power project in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu. (Photo: VNA)
An offshore wind power project in the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu. (Photo: VNA)

The installed capacity of the renewables hit 20,670 MW, up 3,420 MW year-on-year and accounting for 27 percent of total. The EVN’s total power output, comprising generation and imports, rose by 3.9 percent year-on-year to 256.7 billion kWh.

The share of renewable power is increasing, with generating capacity reaching up to 60 percent of the load capacity at times, causing overloads on inter-regional transmission lines and several locations, Nhan said.

This year, the State-owned corporation plans to accelerate licence granting and budget allocation of five key power generation projects, namely Tri An Hydropower Plant Expansion, and thermal power projects Dung Quat I & III, O Mon III, and Quang Trach II. It will also focus on expanding Hoa Binh and Ialy hydropower plants and Quang Trach I Thermal-power Plant.