Vietnam opens $1.4bn imported-LNG power plants in Dong Nai

The Nhon Trach 3 and 4 plants, built by state-owned Petrovietnam and its subsidiary PV Power, have a combined installed capacity of 1,624 megawatts (MW) and are expected to produce more than nine billion kilowatt-hours per year, mainly supplying southern Vietnam.

The plants increase Petrovietnam’s total operating capacity to 8,249 MW across 12 facilities, representing 9.3 percent of Vietnam’s total installed power and more than 10 percent of national electricity output.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh, speaking at the inauguration, said the plants overcame 'unprecedented challenges,' including construction during the COVID-19 pandemic, complex negotiations with foreign partners, and the absence of clear regulations on LNG pricing and long-term electricity offtake.

PV Power CEO Le Duy Linh called the plants a strategic step toward cleaner energy, noting the project to build them faced technical and logistical difficulties that required extensive coordination and effort from engineers and contractors.

The plants use GE 9HA.02 turbines with efficiency rates of 62–64 percent, among the highest in the world.

The turbines can operate on 100 percent hydrogen in the future, supporting Vietnam’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2050.

The government highlighted six records for the project, including the lowest investment cost, largest scale, most advanced technology, highest capacity, shortest EPC (Engineering, Procurement, and Construction) contract negotiation, and most competitive electricity pricing.

The plants are expected to provide flexible electricity generation to support grid balancing in southern Vietnam and serve as a model for future LNG power projects nationwide.