Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has approved a 10-year national power development plan that targets production and import of 330 billion KWh by 2020

Under the 2011-20 plan, 3 percent of this total will be imported. The remaining 97 percent comprise 19.6 percent of hydropower, 46.8 percent of thermal power, 24 percent of gas-generated power, 4.5 percent of renewable energy, and 2.1 percent of nuclear power.

The competitive power market will be developed with various forms of investment in building power plants and trading of electricity. The monopolised State control of the transmission line system remains to ensure the 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 envisages electricity production from renewable sources to increase from 3.5 percent in 2010 to 4.5 percent in 2020 and 6 percent in 2030.

Wind power capacity will be raised to 1,000 MW in 2020 and around 6,200 MW in 2030, equivalent to 0.7 percent of the country’s total output in 2020 and to 2.4 percent in 2030.

Hydropower generation will be increased from the current 9,200 MW to 17,400 MW in 2020.

By 2020, the first nuclear power plant in Vietnam will be put into operation and in 10 years, the sector will produce a total of 10,700 MW, equivalent to 10,1 percent of the country’s total output.

The plan also aims to supply electricity to all families in the country’s rural areas by 2020./.