On December 26, the Electricity Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade held a conference to review its 2025 performance and deploy tasks for 2026.

Electricity sector maintains energy security

Delivering a directive speech at the conference, Acting Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung emphasized the particularly critical role of the Electricity Authority as a core unit within the energy and industry and trade sectors, while expressing his honor to inherit and continue the leadership and management legacy of former Minister Nguyen Hong Dien and Deputy Minister Nguyen Hoang Long. 

According to the Acting Minister, ensuring national energy security is both a vital task and a mission for the energy sector, particularly as the country faces the dual requirement of securing national energy goals while fulfilling emission reduction commitments and COP26 pledges in line with energy transition trends, all within the specific context of the nation's economic structure and development trajectory.

“However, in recent years, the industry and trade sector, the energy sector, and specifically the electricity industry have played a pivotal role in maintaining energy and power security. Notably, in 2025, despite facing extremely difficult and severe practical conditions, the sector successfully executed numerous major national tasks. While our objectives remained unchanged, the operational models and governance structures evolved, requiring us to respond with great agility,” the Acting Minister stated. 

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade leadership, the sector also completed extensive work covering the assurance of energy security, particularly within the electricity field. Commercial electricity output, including imports, reached 322.8 billion kWh, a highly noteworthy result. This achievement reflects the significant contributions of the Electricity Authority, power sector enterprises, and relevant units. 

On behalf of the Ministry’s leadership, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung commended and highly appreciated the sense of responsibility and tremendous efforts of the entire collective of officials, civil servants, and employees within the unit. 

Assessing the outstanding results of 2025, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung emphasized that, firstly, institutional building and state management in the electricity sector were implemented on a large scale, marked by a distinct shift in work culture toward speed and decisiveness. This facilitated the timely issuance of mechanisms and policies that created strong momentum for the stability and development of the power system.

Secondly, the sector successfully ensured electricity supply and system operations amidst significant challenges, simultaneously maintaining energy security and meeting demand without disruptions, while managing electricity prices at levels affordable for both the public and businesses. 

Thirdly, despite adjustments to Power Development Plan VIII, implementation remained swift and timely; the Electricity Authority also presided over and advised Ministry leadership on deploying inspection teams to tighten discipline in the plan's execution. 

Fourthly, regarding the electricity market and pricing mechanisms, the Acting Minister acknowledged this as a highly sensitive issue directly affecting the interests of most societal segments, yet noted that the sector has managed it relatively effectively in recent times. 

He also acknowledged and thanked media agencies for their partnership in providing accurate and targeted information, while emphasizing the need to further strengthen communication efforts and unify messaging across the Ministry and the implementation sector moving forward. 

Fifthly, organizational streamlining and restructuring were implemented quickly and stably, allowing the Electricity Authority to maintain robust operations without workflow interruptions.

Enhancing power system governance efficiency

Also addressing the conference, the Acting Minister responded to proposals raised in reports and presentations. Regarding the first group of issues, the Ministry of Industry and Trade leadership called for continued attention to directing and strengthening close coordination among relevant units, urging the continued building and consolidation of a culture of collaboration, both horizontally between agencies and departments, as well as between Ministry units and enterprises. This is deemed an essential requirement necessitating better solutions to enhance coordination efficiency in the near future. 

Regarding the second group, emphasis was placed on strengthening decentralization and delegation of authority tied to the accountability of specialized units, thereby creating conditions for authorities to be more proactive in policy advisory, specialized management, and the timely handling of practical issues. 

The third group concerned the allocation of resources for research, policy formulation, and digital transformation within electricity sector management; given the context of an increasingly heavy workload requiring faster and more frequent processing, the Acting Minister expressed strong agreement with these proposals.

At the conference, the Acting Minister outlined several key directives. Firstly, he emphasized the need to review and base strategies on the growth scenarios and structures projected for 2026, thereby establishing specific plans for coordinating with enterprises in market governance. 

Secondly, while Vietnam’s installed power capacity currently ranks among the largest in Southeast Asia and stands approximately 20th to 22nd globally, its nominal GDP ranks only between 32nd and 34th. Conversely, despite possessing the region's largest installed capacity, Vietnam still faces intermittent power shortages; this reality necessitates a clear clarification of inadequacies within the generation mix, particularly regarding the proportion of renewable energy and the lack of synchronization between power sources and the transmission grid, in order to enhance the efficiency of power system governance and operations. 

Thirdly, on this basis, the Authority must coordinate with Ministry units to clearly identify and conduct precise, specific assessments of every existing issue, limitation, and difficulty within the power system, including those between generation and load, as well as generation and transmission. These issues must be thoroughly analyzed to determine appropriate resolution methods. 

“The timeframe between now and 2030 is very limited. Time is short, yet the demands for growth and implementation within the electricity sector are immense, with a vast number of projects to be executed during this period,” the Acting Minister emphasized. 

Fourthly, Ministry leadership welcomed the Authority’s advisory role in 2025 in formulating the Politburo’s Resolution 70 on energy development strategy, noting that this serves as both a guideline and a comprehensive solution set for achieving goals through 2030 and beyond.

Fifthly, despite having specific goals and plans, power system operations still demand strict governance capable of handling multiple adverse scenarios occurring simultaneously; therefore, calculations must be made right from the planning stage, with reasonable maintenance scheduling and requirements for enterprises and power plant owners to proactively prepare operational plans to avoid force majeure situations.

Accelerating progress on key projects

Regarding the plans and mandates of the Electricity Authority, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung emphasized the requirement to continue refining legal frameworks to be specific, with clear responsibilities and timelines, particularly concerning laws, decrees, and regulations implementing National Assembly resolutions. Simultaneously, alongside issuing regulations to govern practical operations, there is a need to further strengthen forecasting capabilities and the proactive creation of legal frameworks to drive development.

Furthermore, it is essential to intensify monitoring, inspection, and supervision of power generation and grid projects under the adjusted Power Development Plan VIII to ensure progress, quality, and efficiency. Responsibility lies not only with enterprises but also with state management agencies, as delays will directly impact the overall plan. Therefore, implementation discipline must be strictly enforced through specific requirements and timelines for investors to ensure the effectiveness of planning governance.

The Acting Minister also urged the swift finalization of agreements related to key projects, specifically including the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plants. Regarding these two projects, he mandated an acceleration of progress to avoid prolonged delays, while simultaneously maintaining proactive preparation measures, including the completion of pre-feasibility study reports. 

Based on the Power Development Plan VIII, Acting Minister Le Manh Hung noted the necessity of accelerating the development of new power sources, particularly renewable energy, energy storage systems, and pumped storage hydropower while supplementing flexible power sources to meet peak load demands. Implementation must be grounded in an accurate assessment of the scale and load characteristics of each region, synchronously combining storage capabilities with high-capacity mobilization from power plants to ensure supply reliability during peak periods. 

Addressing the perfection of the competitive electricity market, the Acting Minister stated that while active deployment is necessary, it requires a harmonious resolution to the pricing equation, balancing corporate capital recovery requirements with public affordability. In this context, 2025 was assessed as a year of significant positive shifts; looking ahead, the goal is to align with international standards while intensifying proactive communication efforts to build social consensus.

International cooperation in the electricity sector plays a pivotal role in driving sustainable development, particularly within research and development. The Acting Minister of Industry and Trade argued for accelerating the application of science, technology, and digital transformation, with a central focus on building a shared big data system for the entire industry to establish a foundation for authorized data access and the gradual application of AI to enhance power system operational efficiency. 

At the conference, the Acting Minister emphasized the need to focus on building a workforce within the Authority that possesses policy acumen, technical understanding, and market insight, along with the fortitude to advise the Ministry on major policy decisions.

“Although designated as an Authority, its true stature is national in scope. All policies originate directly from the Authority’s own workforce. Without ensuring necessary conditions and elevating our stature, we will clearly face significant difficulties. The current long-term vision is to maintain stability amidst urgent conditions while meeting immediate specific requirements for policy formulation,” the Acting Minister stated.

According to leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the electricity sector is currently facing a historic period of transition. The responsibilities awaiting the Electricity Authority in the coming period are immense yet highly honorable; indeed, they arguably embody the energy sector's core mission of ensuring national energy security. 

Acting Minister of Industry and Trade Le Manh Hung expressed his confidence that, underpinned by a tradition of solidarity, a spirit of innovation, and collective wisdom, the Electricity Authority will continue to excellently fulfill its assigned tasks, making worthy contributions to the sustainable development of both the industry and trade sector and the nation. 

The conference concluded in an atmosphere of unity and high consensus, demonstrating the collective determination of the Electricity Authority to successfully execute its assigned mandates, thereby contributing to guaranteeing national energy security and the sustainable development of Vietnam’s electricity industry.