Ministry of Industry and Trade: Notice of rooftop solar power installation for management, not 'asking

Photo caption — Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan chaired the press conference.

Answering questions from the press about the development of rooftop solar power at the regular press conference for the third quarter of 2025, organized by the Ministry of Industry and Trade on the afternoon of October 8th, Mr. Bui Quoc Hung, Deputy Director of the Electricity Department, stated that rooftop solar power is a self-production, self-consumption model, where people only sell any surplus electricity to the national grid (if any). For households in remote areas, islands, and those without access to the national grid, independent use is permitted without prior notification.

As for the majority of households currently using rooftop solar power, they still have to rely on the national grid, primarily purchasing electricity through the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) for their daily needs and thus becoming EVN customers.

According to Mr. Hung, solar power only operates during the day, especially at noon, while in the evening or at times without sunlight, households still use electricity from the national grid. Therefore, this announcement helps the electricity sector to balance and ensure stable supply.

"This is a notification, not a mechanism requiring registration or a request for approval. It simply requires notifying the local Department of Industry and Trade or the local electricity company to obtain information on power capacity and demand, in order to regulate and balance electricity supply and demand appropriately. Compared to the old regulations, the new mechanism will be much more convenient," Mr. Hung emphasized.

Mr. Hung also informed that the Ministry of Industry and Trade is currently developing and submitting to the Government a new decision to encourage the development of rooftop solar power, with favorable mechanisms and streamlined administrative procedures. It is expected that people may be able to borrow preferential loans from the Social Policy Bank at an interest rate of approximately 7% per year, along with additional support of 2-3 million VND if they invest in a project. At the same time, there will be a mechanism allowing the sale of surplus electricity back to the grid.

Regarding this issue, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan stated that the revised Power Development Plan VIII sets an important goal: by 2030, 50% of Vietnamese households will have installed rooftop solar power for self-consumption. "The Ministry of Industry and Trade is very keen to develop rooftop solar power and there is no reason to create difficulties," Deputy Minister Tan affirmed.

According to the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, regarding this matter, the Ministry has assigned the Electricity Department to review Decree 58 of 2025 guiding the Electricity Law on the development of renewable energy and new energy sources to simplify procedures.

"The target for rooftop solar power development has been clearly stated in the plan, striving to reach 50%. Therefore, there is no reason for the Ministry of Industry and Trade to create difficult procedures to restrict this type of power," the Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade affirmed.

According to the Deputy Minister, the notification requirement is only intended to help the electricity sector understand power capacity in order to balance electricity supply appropriately, and is not a form of "request-and-grant" system. The current procedures have been designed to be simple. The electricity sector is a specialized technical field, therefore it requires a team of consultants and installation units to support people with parameters and implementation instructions.

The ministry is also directing localities to strengthen communication and support for households, while continuing to review and further simplify procedures.

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