The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) has been assigned to develop a draft resolution to the National Assembly (NA) on soon piloting offshore wind power projects, according to directions from Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha made at the conclusion of a meeting of the Steering Committee for key projects in the energy sector on March 13.

The Deputy Prime Minister requested leaders of ministries, branches, and localities to focus on discussing and sharing their opinions on projects that are facing problems and difficulties, while at the same time reviewing those that are being implemented well (under specific criteria) and can be removed from the Steering Committee’s monitoring and inspection and propose other projects that need to be monitored and inspected.

In regard to determining the electricity purchase price and the long-term committed output of gas power projects, the Deputy Prime Minister emphasized that this is an urgent issue that can affect investment progress at power projects and also national energy security.

Therefore, the MoIT needs to urgently clarify the problems in existing legal documents and research and propose solutions for submission to relevant authorities for consideration and decision according to correct procedures.

Under Vietnam’s National Power Development Plan VIII (PDP 8), offshore wind power is to reach about 6,000 MW by 2030, which may increase further depending on technological developments and reasonable electricity prices and transmission costs. But, currently, no project has had its policy decided upon and assigned to an investor.

A representative from the Steering Committee said the pilot project has problems relating to investigation, survey, exploration, and measurement at sea and the assignment of sea areas. It has also encountered difficulties with investment issues, such as policy approval, investor selection, the conditions for foreign investors, and planning under law.

At the meeting, representatives of ministries, branches, and businesses proposed that in order to deploy offshore wind power projects, the most important issue is to amend and supplement relevant legal regulations as a basis for implementation, such as the Law on Investment, the Law on Bidding, and the Law on Natural Resources and Environment of Seas and Islands, as well as other related planning and resolutions from the NA relating to the field.

The Deputy Prime Minister asked MoIT to soon complete a review of regulations and the legal basis to implement the pilot project.

He also requested that the MoIT propose that relevant authorities develop a draft resolution for the NA, so that the pilot can be implemented immediately while waiting for the law to be amended.