Workers fix electric cables in District 1, Ho Chi Minh City.
Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen. 

The government has given Vietnam Electricity approval to construct the 1,200 MW Trach II Thermal Power Plant in Quang Binh, according to the central province’s website. 

To be located in Hon La Economic Zone, the coal-powered plant is expected to cost VND48.15 trillion ($2.09 billion).

Its first turbine is expected to go on stream in 2028 and the second in 2029.

The government has instructed local authorities to coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to obtain the project’s environmental impact assessment and monitor construction progress.

EVN earlier built the Quang Trach I Power Plant at a cost of over VND41 trillion in Quang Binh Province.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade had earlier warned of power shortages of 3.7 billion kWh in 2021 and nearly 10 billion kWh the following year, as construction of new thermal and gas-fired plants fall behind schedule.

2023 will be the most stressful with the shortage expected to be around 15 billion kWh. From then on, it will decrease, with shortages expected to drop to 7 billion kWh and 3.5 billion kWh in 2024 and 2025 respectively.