The ultimate goal is to ensure energy security.
Speaking at the session, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien expressed his sincere gratitude to the National Assembly delegates for their heartfelt and responsible contributions to the draft Resolution. He also stated that 40 delegates had spoken during the group discussion, and based on their responses, the National Assembly delegates generally agreed on the necessity of issuing the Resolution and its fundamental contents. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has also submitted a report on the feedback received and explanations to the National Assembly delegates, along with the draft Resolution.
"At today's meeting, 12 delegates continued to contribute their opinions to the draft. We sincerely thank them and will seriously absorb their valid opinions to work with the agency in charge of reviewing and finalizing the draft to submit to the National Assembly for consideration and approval," said the Minister.
To further clarify some issues of concern to the delegates, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien stated that regarding the necessity and appropriateness of the draft Resolution's content in line with the Party's guidelines, the majority of opinions agreed that the issuance of the Resolution is appropriate and practical for concretizing Resolution 70 of the Politburo on national energy development in the coming period. At the same time, it addresses bottlenecks and obstacles in the energy development process; it has special significance and an open nature for implementing the Power Development Plan VIII as well as Vietnam's commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.
"During the drafting process, the lead agency conducted research based on the practical experiences of localities and businesses of all economic sectors. The highest goal is to ensure national energy security and meet the requirements for double-digit growth in the coming period, as decided by the National Assembly," the Minister of Industry and Trade emphasized.
Following the conclusions of the National Assembly Standing Committee and the review opinions of relevant agencies, especially the opinions of National Assembly deputies, the draft Resolution has been revised and supplemented with several important and groundbreaking mechanisms and policies to institutionalize the Party's viewpoints and guidelines in Resolution 70 of the Politburo. At the same time, it has also been revised and applied to organizations and individuals of all economic sectors, including state and private, in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 68 and Resolution 70 of the Politburo. Contents not yet considered regarding the policy of competent authorities in Article 10 (on mechanisms for BOT power projects) have been removed from the draft Law.
Regarding the title, constitutionality, legality, consistency, and uniformity of the draft Resolution with other draft laws currently under consideration by the National Assembly, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien stated that, based on the conclusions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the opinions of relevant agencies, and the opinions of National Assembly deputies, the drafting agency has promptly and actively coordinated with the reviewing agencies and National Assembly committees to review and revise the draft. The Government respectfully accepts the conclusions of the National Assembly Standing Committee. Accordingly, the title of the Resolution has been adjusted to: Resolution of the National Assembly on mechanisms and policies for national energy development in the period 2026 – 2030.
In addition, some provisions of the draft Resolution have been omitted or left open until the time of voting, to ensure maximum synchronization with the draft laws currently being considered by the National Assembly. For example, the content regarding national reserves of petroleum products was discussed, stating that if it is included in the draft Law on National Reserves, it does not need to be included in the draft. However, if that content is not approved, it must be included in the draft Resolution. Considering this issue urgent, especially the exchange of reserve goods, the Minister shared that our current reserve is RON 92, while we have not used this fuel for a long time. Changing it now would be difficult because, according to the current Law on National Reserves, we must conduct bidding for purchase and auction for sale. However, the bidding and auction process takes several months, while the base price changes weekly. This is a practical issue that we cannot ignore.
"Indeed, the content of Article 7 regarding the exemption from the 3-year requirement for government loans/guarantees for the National Social Security Fund (NSMO) has been integrated into the amended Law on Public Debt Management; the content of Article 21 on the mechanism for handling delayed projects has also been stipulated in the Land Law, the Investment Law, and the Electricity Law. We agree not to include it here," Minister Nguyen Hong Dien said.
Only consider important and urgent projects.
According to Minister Nguyen Hong Dien, in order to ensure that regulations on matters within the authority of the National Assembly or those delegated to the Government are properly formulated, the drafting agency has promptly and actively coordinated with the reviewing agencies and National Assembly committees to review and revise the regulations in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 66 of the Politburo.
Matters falling under the Government's jurisdiction and subject to flexibility and change should be regulated in detail at the Government level instead of being delegated to ministries and ministerial-level agencies, in order to shorten processing time.
These contents have been revised in the draft, including: specific regulations on the financial capacity of enterprises; application dossiers for approval of investment policies for offshore wind power projects; mechanisms for developing small-module nuclear power; methods for handling survey costs; procedures for receiving and processing dossiers for offshore wind power projects; and a mechanism for direct power purchase agreements, expanding the scope of application to include eligible electricity retailers as stipulated by regulations.
At the meeting, the Minister of Industry and Trade also explained and clarified several issues of great interest to the delegates. Accordingly, regarding the scope of the draft resolution, in order to institutionalize Clause 3, Section 3 of Resolution 70 of the Politburo, the draft resolution has been revised to apply to the development of nationally important and urgent electricity, oil and gas, and coal projects according to the list decided by the Prime Minister.
Regarding concerns that the list of projects lacks a clear basis for identification or is not entirely clear, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed: The Government has developed and approved a very specific list. Only projects in the energy sector identified as important and urgent will be considered for the application of special mechanisms under the Resolution.
Regarding the regulations on adjusting and updating the power planning, based on the opinions of delegates, the draft has been revised to ensure the correct nature of the planning adjustment activities. Accordingly, the update aims to complete some contents of the Power Development Planning to meet practical requirements.
Specifically, the draft Resolution clarifies that the adjustment does not fall under the cases of planning adjustments as stipulated in the Planning Law, does not change the viewpoints, objectives, or major orientations, and does not increase the total installed capacity according to the structure of each type of power source.
"The draft also clearly stipulates the principles for implementing adjustments and updates in accordance with the spirit of Resolution 70 of the Politburo, and at the same time specifically identifies cases that are considered the basis for adjusting and updating the planning," said the Minister.
Regarding the authority to decide on investment policies for offshore wind power projects in the 2026-2030 period, based on the opinions of many National Assembly deputies regarding the requirements for ensuring national security and defense, the competence of local authorities and the coordination between ministries and branches, the draft has been revised in the direction of: Assigning the Prime Minister to decide on investment policies and approve investors, not applying the mechanism of auctioning land use rights or bidding to select investors for the 6,000 MW capacity developed in this period.
The Minister stated that for the remaining capacity of approximately 11,000 MW, projected to be developed by 2035 according to the revised Power Development Plan VIII, implementation will comply with current regulations. Accordingly, the Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee will consider and decide based on the actual situation and in accordance with the provisions of the law.
Regarding other issues such as mechanisms for renewable energy sources, LNG power, expanding the scope of DPPA participation, or certain types of power generation such as small hydropower or biomass power, after considering the opinions of delegates, the drafting agency and the reviewing agency have agreed to expand the scope of DPPA participation to include retail electricity projects and assigned the Government to provide detailed regulations.
In addition, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien also clarified some other points, such as those concerning small hydropower. The Minister emphasized that the current relevant legal regulations are relatively appropriate, and small hydropower projects are not considered urgent in the long term. Therefore, the drafting agency will accept this feedback and include it in the review and amendment of the Electricity Law, scheduled for 2026.
Regarding small hydropower projects, current relevant legal regulations are relatively comprehensive and appropriate. These projects are also long-term in nature and not considered urgent. Therefore, the drafting agency acknowledges the delegates' opinions and will study and incorporate this content into the review and amendment process of the Electricity Law, which is expected to be implemented in 2026.
"Regarding the suggestion to minimize guidance steps to ensure rapid implementation, especially given that the Resolution is only valid for 5 years, we fully agree. The Government has received the submission and reported to the National Assembly, proposing to allow the issuance of decrees and circulars through a simplified procedure to ensure progress and effective implementation, " the Minister shared.
Further analyzing and explaining the issue of offshore wind power, Minister Nguyen Hong Dien stated that, fundamentally, the current policy system is relatively complete. The pricing framework for offshore wind power has been issued since June 2025, clearly defining the pricing mechanism for three regions, in line with the potential and advantages of each area for offshore wind power development.
Vietnam possesses enormous potential with nearly 3,000 km of coastline and many favorable areas for exploitation. However, this is a completely new type of energy that we have never implemented before, and it is also linked to strict national security requirements and many other issues. Therefore, the Government and the drafting agency have adopted a very cautious approach: simultaneously exploiting potential and advantages while implementing it step by step to gain experience, avoiding a situation of rapid development that would require adjustments, causing difficulties and negative consequences for management.
Regarding the delegates' comments on some mechanisms in the draft Resolution that are already stipulated in the Electricity Law and related laws, and that loosening them could lead to a "request-and-grant" mechanism, the Minister of Industry and Trade affirmed that once the National Assembly approves the Resolution, the Government will direct relevant ministries, sectors, and agencies to establish strict control mechanisms. The Resolution will only be valid for 5 years; after this period, any adjustments to energy projects, especially various types of power sources, will revert to being implemented according to current laws.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien affirmed that once the National Assembly approves this resolution, the Government will direct relevant ministries, sectors, and agencies to establish control mechanisms, as this resolution is only valid for five years. After five years, all adjustments to energy projects in general, especially electricity projects and all types of power sources, will be implemented according to the provisions of current law. “We are committed to continuing to coordinate with the lead agency responsible for verification, fully incorporating the valid opinions of National Assembly deputies to finalize the draft for the National Assembly to consider and decide at this session,” the Minister emphasized.
Source: https://moit.gov.vn/tin-tuc/bo-truong-nguyen-hong-dien-nghi-quyet-ve-phat-trien-nang-luong-co-y-nghia-dac-biet.html
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