Three key hurdles for Vietnam’s LNG-to-power sector

Tariffs, location and bureaucracy are obstacles to be overcome to drive greater use of gas in Vietnam’s power sector

Vietnam is in the process of switching to gas from a heavy reliance on coal-fired generation, with as many as 18 gas-to-power projects and nine LNG terminals under development. Substituting coal will have a major impact on ESG and carbon savings, but LNG and gas-to-power developments still face obstacles in Vietnam, speakers told Petroleum Economist’s LNG to Power Forum Apac event in Singapore in mid-May. Vietnam needs to make progress on infrastructure projects—particularly grid upgrades and improvements— to enable these gas-to-power projects to succeed, says Gilles Pascual, Asean power and utilities leader at consultancy EY. Many Vietnamese LNG projects—and even some of the previous tranch