National Assembly passes breakthrough Resolution on Energy Development

Before the vote, authorized by the Government, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien delivered a summary report on the revisions and clarifications to the Draft Resolution on mechanisms and policies for national energy development for 2026-2030.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien presents a summary report on the revisions and feedback incorporated into the National Assembly’s Draft Resolution on mechanisms and policies for national energy development

Empowering the Prime Minister to approve investment policies

Following the conclusions of the National Assembly Standing Committee, the Government instructed the drafting agencies to urgently and proactively coordinate with oversight bodies and relevant committees of the National Assembly to study and incorporate as many substantive and valid recommendations from deputies as possible, thereby refining and completing the draft.

Specifically, the draft now adjusts its title in line with the Standing Committee’s conclusions; provides regulations for updating and amending the national power development plan to meet practical needs without altering the overarching perspectives, goals, or strategic direction of the plan; and ensures no increase in total installed capacity by type of power source. The draft also authorizes the Prime Minister to approve investment policies and investor selection without land-use auctions or bidding for offshore wind power projects during 2025-2030; decentralizes authority to chairpersons of provincial People’s Committees to approve investment policies for offshore wind projects in 2031-2035; and expands participation in DPPA mechanisms to include electricity retail units.

Notably, the draft excludes policies that overlap with regulations proposed for laws currently under consideration at this session, such as the Law on National Reserve, the amended Law on Public Debt Management, and the provisions on handling delayed projects under the Law on Investment and the Law on Land, to ensure the consistency and coherence of the legal system.

Preventing legal gaps

According to the revised explanatory report, provisions that fall under the Government’s authority or require flexibility due to their evolving nature have been incorporated and refined. These include: detailed financial requirements for enterprises submitting investment proposals for offshore wind power projects; development of small modular nuclear reactors; cost-recovery mechanisms for survey activities; and procedures for filing, receiving, and handling offshore wind project documentation.

Minister Nguyen Hong Dien stated that to avoid any legal gaps after the Resolution takes effect, the Government will issue comprehensive guiding documents to ensure clarity, consistency, feasibility, and timely implementation.

He affirmed that ministries, sectors, and local authorities will be instructed to promptly implement the Resolution’s provisions; address existing obstacles in electricity generation and transmission projects; improve market mechanisms; and accelerate investment attraction to safeguard national energy security in the coming years.

At the same time, the Resolution aims to support socio-economic development targets of double-digit growth and achieve the national commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. It also emphasizes enhancing transparency, public accountability, and oversight of implementation while ensuring timely reporting to competent authorities on emerging challenges and proposing additional solutions when necessary.

The revised Resolution has been finalized in a more coherent and comprehensive manner, in alignment with the spirit of Politburo Resolutions No. 66, 68, and 70.

Earlier, on the afternoons of December 4 and December 8, the National Assembly held group discussions and a plenary debate on the draft. Deputies agreed that the Resolution must be adopted promptly to resolve longstanding bottlenecks, and that new breakthrough mechanisms, particularly for offshore wind, power transmission, and energy security, are essential in meeting the rising electricity demand required to sustain socio-economic development and achieve double-digit growth in the coming period.