Vietnam is considering adding more coal-fired power plants to its national energy mix as concerns over liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply security and slow project development threaten its long-term electricity plans.
The government said on Wednesday it may revise its national power development plan following disruptions linked to the conflict in the Middle East, which has complicated LNG supply security.
Vietnam has been expanding its electricity generation capacity to support its fast-growing economy, with renewable energy and LNG identified as key pillars of its energy transition. However, progress on LNG projects has fallen well behind target.
The country aims to install 22.5 gigawatts (GW) of LNG-fired power capacity by 2030, but has achieved only 7.3% of that goal so far, largely due to regulatory hurdles, weak investor interest and concerns over fuel supply.
Under its existing power plan, Vietnam targets total installed electricity capacity of between 183GW and 236GW by 2030. Coal-fired power is expected to account for between 13.1% and 16.9% of the generation mix, while LNG is projected to contribute between 9.5% and 12.3%.
According to state utility EVN, electricity generation in the first half of 2026 rose 9.8% year-on-year to 171.5 billion kilowatt-hours.
Coal-fired power plants remained the country’s largest source of electricity during the period, accounting for 54.5% of total output.
