Hanoi (VNA) – The Ministry of Industry and Trade held a ceremony in Hanoi on November 12 to sign a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract for the 1,200-MW Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant in the northern province of Ninh Binh, according to the Vietnam Electricity (EVN).
The project is expected to provide an important addition to the national power system, helping ensure electricity supply, particularly in northern Vietnam, in the coming years.
Attending the signing ceremony were Standing Deputy Prime Minister Pham Gia Tuc, Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung, and Secretary of the Ninh Binh provincial Party Committee Tran Huy Tuan, among others.
Developed by Nam Dinh First Power Company Limited, the plant will comprise two 600-MW turbines. The project was granted an investment registration certificate in 2017 and is among the important power generation projects included in the National Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8).
Once operational, it will provide additional baseload power, improve the reliability of electricity supply, facilitate the integration of renewable energy sources and meet electricity demand for socio-economic development. In line with the Government's orientation, the investor aims to put the plant into operation in 2030.
Speaking at the ceremony, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai stressed the project's importance to ensuring electricity supply security, particularly as northern Vietnam will need additional stable baseload power sources in the coming years.
To keep the project on schedule, he urged the investor to mobilise maximum resources and urgently complete financial arrangements, while working with relevant parties to finalise the power purchase agreement, land lease and fuel supply contracts, as well as investment, construction and environmental procedures in accordance with regulations.
The investor was also asked to proactively prepare personnel, equipment and construction plans so that work could begin as soon as all required conditions are met.
Regarding EVN, Hoai called on the group to promptly sign the power purchase agreement and coordinate with relevant agencies to ensure the timely grid connection and power evacuation of the plant once it becomes operational.
He also urged the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holdings Corporation (Vinacomin) to work with the project company to review and implement the signed coal supply contract, prepare fuel sources and arrange transportation and receipt plans in line with the plant's operational schedule.
For Ninh Binh province, the Deputy Minister called for expediting land-related procedures, compensation, site clearance, resettlement and land handover, while promptly addressing difficulties and obstacles within its authority to facilitate project implementation.
The signing of the BOT contract marks an important milestone in the implementation of the Nam Dinh I Thermal Power Plant project, reflecting coordinated efforts by State management agencies, local authorities, the investor and relevant parties to move the project towards construction and operation, thereby strengthening the national power system's electricity supply capacity./.
