(Source: EVN - Vietnam Electricity Group) On July 11, in Hanoi, Mr. Nguyen Anh Tuan, General Director of Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), received and worked with a high-level delegation from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade led by Minister Lukas Vlcek, to discuss potential cooperation in the energy sector. Also present from the Czech Republic was the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Vietnam, Mr. Hynek Kmonicek.

Joining the meeting with the delegation were Deputy General Director Nguyen Tai Anh and leaders of the Group's specialized departments.

EVN General Director Nguyen Anh Tuan (center) at the reception and working session with the high-level delegation from the Czech Ministry of Industry and Trade.

During the meeting, General Director Nguyen Anh Tuan provided an overview of the development of the national power system and highlighted the challenges facing Vietnam's electricity sector.

Currently, the total installed capacity of the national power system is approximately 85,000MW, with a diverse power source structure including hydropower, coal-fired thermal power, gas power, and renewable energy. Of this, the proportion of renewable energy accounts for about 28% of the total generation capacity.

According to the revised Power Development Plan VIII, Vietnam aims to develop a total generation capacity of approximately 183,000MW by 2030, with a strong emphasis on developing renewable energy sources and LNG-fired power plants.

Furthermore, with the Vietnamese Government's commitment at COP26 to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, EVN needs to implement synchronous solutions for technology improvements and cleaner fuel conversion for coal-fired thermal power plants. Additionally, upgrading and modernizing the transmission grid has become an urgent requirement to ensure safe, stable, and sustainable operation of the power system in the context of rapidly increasing renewable energy sources.

EVN leaders also stated that one of Vietnam's major challenges is ensuring electricity supply security amidst the growing proportion of renewable energy sources. With extensive experience and advanced technology, the Czech Republic is considered by EVN as a potential partner that can share many technology solutions and operational management models suitable for Vietnam's actual conditions.

Czech Minister of Industry and Trade Lukas Vlcek expresses hope for increased cooperation in the energy sector with EVN in the coming period.

Minister Lukas Vlcek stated that the current power source structure of the Czech Republic mainly relies on thermal power and nuclear power. The country also aims to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050, with approximately 50% of electricity production coming from nuclear energy and 50% from renewable energy sources.

To achieve this goal, the Czech Government and businesses are focusing on investing in the development of new renewable energy sources, expanding and modernizing transmission grid infrastructure, and also renovating thermal power plants to switch to cleaner fuels.

The Czech Minister of Industry and Trade also stated that many Czech businesses and research institutes wish to cooperate in technology transfer and share experiences in nuclear power, thermal power improvement, and renewable energy development with Vietnam.

The Czech Republic also proposed expanding cooperation with EVN in training and human resource development, especially in training engineers, managers, and operators for nuclear power plants, thermal power plants, and related high-tech fields.

The two sides agreed to continue maintaining information exchange and connections between regulatory agencies, businesses, and research institutes of both countries, thereby researching and developing specific cooperation programs consistent with the sustainable development orientation of Vietnam and the Czech Republic in the coming period.