The Vietnam National Industry-Energy Group (Petrovietnam) has signed an engineering procurement and construction (EPC) contract with a consortium of South Korea’s Doosan Enerbility Co and Vietnam’s Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company 2 for the O Mon 4 thermal power plan in Vietnam.

The initiative is a critical phase in the Block B – O Mon gas-to-power project, which aims to bolster Vietnam’s energy security and support its clean energy transition.

Situated in Can Tho city within the Mekong Delta, the O Mon 4 plant will play a pivotal role in the nation’s strategic energy planning.

Utilising advanced combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) technology, the plant will have a designed capacity of 1,155MW.

It is scheduled to become operational by December 2028.

The completion of O Mon 4 will boost Petrovietnam’s total installed capacity to above 93,000MW – around 10% of Vietnam’s overall power capacity.

The Block B – O Mon project encompasses offshore gas extraction at Block B, a gas pipeline, and a thermal power complex.

O Mon 4 is a crucial downstream component of this integrated endeavour, which has experienced almost two decades of delays.

In 2023, the Prime Minister entrusted Petrovietnam with the responsibility of overseeing the O Mon 3 and O Mon 4 thermal power plants, ensuring the alignment of downstream infrastructure construction with upstream gas supply.

In line with the country’s amended national power plan, Vietnam is set to augment its power generation capacity by 2030, with an emphasis on renewable energy and a reintroduction of nuclear power.

The plan involves an investment of $136.3bn, more than a quarter of Vietnam’s projected 2024 GDP, targeting a reduction in coal dependency, which currently dominates the country’s energy mix.