A major independent power producer in Vietnam said its 1.6-GW Nhon Trach 3&4 Power Plant has entered commercial operation. PetroVietnam Power Corp., a subsidiary of the state-owned PetroVietnam (PVN) Group, on January 5 said the facility is the first in the country to be powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
GE Vernova on Monday said the power station, which was inaugurated in a ceremony on December 14 of last year, also is the first in Vietnam to use the company’s HA turbine. The $1.4-billion facility, built in the Ong Keo Industrial Park in the Dai Phuoc commune, is located about 45 miles southeast of Ho Chi Minh City, the former Saigon. The companies said the combined-cycle power plant, using GE Vernova’s 9HA.02 turbine technology, “is expected to improve the reliability and stability of the energy grid to support renewables penetration,” and will help supply “the growing electricity demand in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province.”
Samsung C&T and Lilama served as the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) leads for the project. PV Power last year signed a 25-year agreement with its sister company, PetroVietnam Gas (PV Gas) to supply LNG to the two plants. That agreement marked the country’s first long-term LNG supply contract with a committed volume of 530 million cubic meters per year for the first five years.
The project expands natural gas-fired generation capacity in Vietnam and is part of the country’s transition away from coal-fired power. The country has a plan to increase the use of LNG; according to the Adjusted PDP8, an amendment to Vietnam’s National Power Development Plan VIII, LNG is central to Vietnam’s flexible generation mix. More than 22 GW of LNG-fueled power generation is expected online within the next five years, which would account for more than 9%—and perhaps more than 12%—of the country’s power generation capacity.
Officials, though, have been concerned about the pace of construction of new power plants. Hanoi-based rating firm Vietnam Investors Service, known as VIS Rating, estimated in a recent note that about 25% of PDP8’s planned 21 LNG power plant projects in the coming decade lack investors. Only three projects are currently under construction. That includes the 1.6-GW Hai Phong plant, backed by a joint venture between Vingroup and its subsidiary VinEnergo.
VIS Rating in its note wrote, “We expect project development to accelerate from 2026 onward.” The group said it expects typical construction timelines of four to five years for LNG power plants. It also said it expects government policies will require projects to begin commercial operation before 2031.
Renewable Energy Integration
“Renewable energy is expected to grow significantly in Vietnam while at the same time, lower-carbon and highly efficient gas power generation will play a crucial role in supporting this growth while ensuring grid stability and reliability,” said Ramesh Singaram, president and CEO of GE Vernova’s Gas Power business in the Asia Pacific region. “This first-of-its-kind project is expected to bring electricity for large industrial areas in the southern region including Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai province while opening up a new chapter for gas power generation in Vietnam. We are proud to execute the first HA project in the country, in alignment with its national energy goals for a more sustainable national economic growth.”
A PV Power representative in a news release said, “Vietnam’s energy transition requires solutions that balance capacity, efficiency, and sustainability, which is why we chose GE Vernova’s 9HA.02 gas turbines for Nhon Trach 3&4. GE Vernova’s advanced 9HA.02 gas turbine is central to our commitment to modern energy standards. It enables the plant to achieve greater than 63% combined-cycle efficiency, ranking it among the world’s most efficient facilities. Additionally, the 9HA.02 meets the strictest emission regulations, offers versatile fuel-switching capabilities—operating on LNG now, supporting up to 50% hydrogen co-firing, and paving the way for 100% hydrogen use in the future—ensuring alignment with Vietnam’s net-zero goals for decades.”
GE Vernova has provided two blocks of more than 800 MW each for the power station. The blocks include a 9HA.02 gas turbine, the company’s most-efficient 50 Hz gas turbine; an STF-D650 steam turbine; a W88 generator; and a Once Through Heat Recovery Steam Generator (OT HRSG), which enables advanced water-steam cycles delivering higher combined-cycle efficiency. GE Vernova also has supplied its Mark VIe Distributed Control System (DCS), which will help PV Power improve asset visibility, reliability, and availability while reducing operation and maintenance costs.
GE Vernova said its equipment is being used to provide about 30% of Vietnam’s electricity. The company has more than 1,100 workers across 13 locations at various GE Vernova businesses throughout the country. GE Vernova also operates the Phu My repair facility and Dung Quat HRSG manufacturing plant in Vietnam.
—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER.
