Power imports from Laos surge as renewable projects come online

According to state utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN), electricity imports from Laos reached 2.92 billion kWh in the first quarter, making up 3.8 percent of the total electricity output.

This indicates a surge of nearly 120 percent from 1.33 billion kWh in the same period last year.

EVN said the higher import volume was driven by the rapid deployment of renewable energy projects in Laos in 2025, along with transmission projects along the border, which have improved the capacity to deliver imported power to Vietnam.

By the end of 2025, the prime minister and the Ministry of Industry and Trade had approved plans to import electricity from 47 power projects in Laos, with a total capacity of 8,260 MW, to meet rising demand in Vietnam, according to EVN.

These projects, which have already been put into commercial operation and are supplying electricity to Vietnam, had a combined capacity of 2,379 MW last year, up from 1,700 MW in 2024.

Among recent projects, the first phase of the Savan 1 wind power plant in Laos began operation in late December 2025 and is expected to supply 0.9 billion kWh of electricity annually to Vietnam’s national grid, with a grid integration rate of over 90 percent.

The project is being developed by Savan 1 Wind Power Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of T&T Group, one of Vietnam’s leading private conglomerates.

Another project is the 220kV Tuong Duong–Do Luong transmission line, developed by EVN’s National Power Transmission Corporation, with a length of nearly 81 kilometers.

It was put into operation in November 2025, helping stabilize power supply from hydropower plants in Laos to Nghe An Province in north-central Vietnam and the national grid.

Under a cooperation plan between the Vietnamese and Lao governments for the 2016–25 period, electricity import capacity is expected to reach 3,000 MW, rising to 5,000 MW by 2030 in line with Vietnam’s Power Development Plan VIII.

By 2050, Vietnam could import around 11,000 MW of electricity from Laos, yielding an estimated 37 billion kWh annually.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has also signed off on new ceiling prices for electricity imported from Laos, which will apply to commercial power plants starting December 31.

The maximum prices are set at 6.95, 7.02, and 6.95 U.S. cents per kWh for hydropower, coal-fired power and wind power, respectively.