Will Vietnam build a new coal-fired power plant after 2030?

While Vietnam’s new energy plan mandates that no new coal-fired power plants will be built after 2030 as the country transitions to cleaner fuels, total generation capacity from coal power will still rise by 2030, contributing some 20% of total energy production — down from the current 30.8%.

What is Vietnam's energy plan?

Vietnam has released a long-anticipated energy plan meant to take the country through the next decade and help meet soaring demand while reducing carbon emissions. (AP Photo/Hau Dinh) A person rests on a table at a shopping mall to take refuge from the heat during a power outage in Hanoi, Vietnam on Saturday, June 10, 2023.

Does Vietnam have a power grid?

Vietnam, which has rapidly industrialized and made electricity available to nearly its entire population, has made huge strides in expanding use of renewable energy. It fueled half of the country’s electricity output in 2022, up from just a quarter a decade earlier. But upgrades to the power grid haven’t kept up.

Will Vietnam reach net zero emissions by 2050?

At the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in November 2021, Vietnam’s prime minster Pham Minh Chinh made an unexpected announcement – Vietnam would target to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Why does Vietnam have a power outage?

Power outages are leaving Vietnamese homes and businesses without power for hours at a time, as a prolonged drought and high temperatures strain the fast-growing economy’s capacity to keep up. (AP Photo/Huy Han) Smoke billows from Pha Lai thermal power plant in Hai Duong province, Vietnam on June 12, 2023.

Will Vietnam move away from coal?

The gradual shift away from coal won’t wean Vietnam from fossil fuels, given its goal of expanding use of LNG — cooled natural gas that is made predominantly of methane whose production and transportation leaks contribute to global warming.