EVNNPT and Bac Lieu LNG Power Co. Ltd sign principle grid connection agreement for LNG-to-power plant

The transmission line was included in Power Development Plan 8 (PDP8) on 15 May 2023 by approval of the Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam (Decision No. 500/QD-TTg).

The agreement, signed by Luu Viet Tien, Deputy General Director of EVNNPT, and Canh Do, General Director of BLLP, establishes the technical, investment, metering, protection, control, and cybersecurity framework for connecting the plant.

Key details include:

• Four generating units connecting through a dedicated 500 kV switchyard (SPP) designed on a 3/2 breaker scheme.
• Double-circuit 500 kV transmission line (approximately 130 km, phase-split conductors) from the plant’s switchyard to the 500 kV Thot Not Substation.
• Phased commercial operation targeted for 2030 (Unit 1: March; Unit 2: June; Unit 3: September; Unit 4: December).The project aligns fully with PDP8 which has been revised by decision (Decision No. 768/2025) of the Prime Minister on 15 April 2025, and the approved technical regulations under Circular 05/2025/TT-BCT and related laws.

The project aligns fully with PDP8 which has been revised by decision (Decision No. 768/2025) of the Prime Minister on 15 April 2025, and the approved technical regulations under Circular 05/2025/TT-BCT and related laws.

Do, said: “Today’s signing marks a decisive step forward for the 3200 MW Bac Lieu LNG-to-power project. We deeply appreciate EVNNPT’s professional support and look forward to continued collaboration to deliver clean, affordable, and reliable energy to the national grid on schedule.”

The Bac Lieu LNG-to-power plant is a nationally important investment project that will address national priorities of enhancing energy security and improving socio-economic development for the country. The combined cycle gas turbines can provide flexible generation capacity to support Vietnam’s transition towards cleaner energy sources for the Mekong Delta sub-region. The transmission line will also enable access for renewable power generation sources in the Mekong Delta that can be balanced and supplemented with flexible generation from the Bac Lieu LNG-to-power plant.

In addition, the international feasibility study for the transmission line was funded by a grant from the U.S. Trade Development Agency (USTDA) and has been completed as well as submitted to the relevant Vietnamese authorities as a gift from the US to Vietnam. The international feasibility study of the transmission line was conducted by Black & Veatch and the Institute of Energy of Vietnam’s Ministry of Industry and Trade. The grant recipient was Mekong Clean Energy Interconnection Company Limited (MCEI), an affiliate of Delta Offshore Energy Americas LLC (DOEA).

Bobby Quintos, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Delta Offshore Energy, added: “The international feasibility study funded by a grant from USTDA and gifted to Vietnam from the US government is a representation of American energy abundance and reliability in accordance with President Trump’s Executive Order on Unleashing American Energy, especially in the Indo-Pacific region which includes Vietnam, a comprehensive strategic partner of the US.”

This international feasibility study enables the owner of the 500 kV Bac Lieu–Thot Not transmission line to use the engineering study to issue a request for proposal (RFP) to contractors globally interested in building the Transmission Line. This international feasibility study also considers various commercial models to attract various funding sources including both public and private capital from abroad.

Ian Nguyen, Chairman of BLLP and Co-Founder and Managing Director of Delta Offshore Energy, commented: “With the signing of the principle agreement on grid connection and the completion of the international feasibility of the 500 kV Bac Lieu–Thot Not transmission line, we hope to help Vietnam achieve its national grid infrastructure goals by sourcing blended financing that combines public sector financing solutions to crowd-in and de-risk private sector capital from both the US and our allies and partner countries. This model can be replicated across the country and possibly a successful case study for electrifying the wider Indo-Pacific.”

Based on recent planning by Vietnam, it is estimated that US$136.3 billion equivalent is required over the next five years for the implementation of the revised PDP8 in order to nearly double the electricity generated by 2030 to power the rapidly growing Vietnamese economy. Of this ambitious investment goal, it is estimated that US$18.1 billion rs equivalent is for electricity grid infrastructure. Furthermore, it is reported that within 2026 alone, EVNNPT targets to commence construction on 87 electricity grid projects.

Nguyen concluded: “Given the significant imported content for both generation and grid infrastructure, a significant majority of this funding is likely required from global capital sources.”

Read the article online at: https://www.lngindustry.com/liquid-natural-gas/20032026/evnnpt-and-bac-lieu-lng-power-co-ltd-sign-principle-grid-connection-agreement-for-lng-to-power-plant/