The Norwegian Embassy, together with Norwegian Energy Partners and Power Engineering Consulting Joint Stock Company1 organized on the 4th November 2019 a Norway-Vietnam seminar in Hanoi regarding liquefied natural gas (LNG).
The seminar aimed at creating an opportunity for the Norwegian companies to look for local partners to invest and to develop advanced solutions for Vietnam’s LNG industry. For example floating LNG terminal and its facilities, FSRU (Floating Storage and Regasification), Floating LNG Power plants, small scale LNG distribution vessels and facilities, possible financial solutions for LNG projects.
“LNG is the cleanest fossil fuel,” said Norwegian Ambassador Grete Løchen in her opening remarks.
“In the context of the current energy transition in Vietnam and regionally, LNG represents an excellent alternative to coal thermal power in terms of less air pollution,”
According to the Norwegian embassy in Hanoi, Norway and Vietnam share similarities in terms of size and long coastlines, and both countries have oil and gas industry. However, Norway is a net energy exporting country, while Vietnam tends to become a net energy importer.
Norway is among the leading countries in providing solutions for LNG. Norwegian LNG companies cover every step in LNG supply chain, which includes production of LNG, LNG regasification, LNG transportation, and production of power from LNG.
Especially, Norway is the first country in the world to develop solutions for floating LNG terminals, which are cost effective, reliable and can be delivered within a very short timeline. Norway is also well-known for providing solutions for developing small scale LNG vessels to transport LNG from LNG terminal to industrial end-users such as small power plants, chemical industries, fertilizer industries and others. Meanwhile, Vietnam is in a transition period of phasing out coal use and shifting to cleaner energy sources.
Participants of the seminar were Norwegian Energy Partner, DNV GL, Export Credit Norway, Golar Power, Höegh LNG, Kanfer Shipping, LMG marine, LNT Marine, Passer marine, and Network LNG, together with 85 participants representing Vietnam’s LNG sector including the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Electricity of Vietnam VN, PetroVietnam, Petrolimex, PVpower, Genco 1, and other domestic and international key players within Vietnam’s LNG industry.
“A number of investors have taken part in this field in Vietnam, but there haven’t been any Norwegian companies,” Nguyen Thanh Ha, Director of the Vietbid Technology Investment Consultant Centre, said.
“I hope that the country will cooperate with Norwegian firms in the time ahead.”
According to Vietnam’s Power Development Plan VII, during the 2025 – 2030 period, Vietnam will need new LNG power plants with a total capacity of approximately 15,000 MW -19,000 MW to meet the rapidly increasing growth rate of the domestic power demand.
Vietnam’s gas supply is forecast to fall short of demand from 2020, due to the decline of the country’s gas reserves and the delayed development of new gas fields, which makes it necessary to import more LNG to supplement fuel for power plants in the South of Vietnam.
Vietnam’s Plan for Development of the Gas Industry by 2025 with Vision to 2035 forecasts that, during the 2021-2025 period, Vietnam will need to import 1 – 4 billion m3 of LNG per year which will be increased to 6-10 billion m3 p.a after 2026. About 75% of the imported LNG will be used as fuel for power plants to secure a rapidly growing Vietnam’s economy.
