Vietnamese government officials said the country expects its coal-fired power plants will operate at significant levels in 2025 to support increased demand for electricity across the country.

The government on Nov. 18 said most of the coal-fired units will be online about 75% of the time next year, or operating for 6,400 to 6,500 hours during the year. Officials on Monday said power demand is forecast to increase in 2025 from 11% to 14% above current levels.

Coal-fired power generation accounted for about 48.7% of Vietnam’s total production of electricity this year through October, according to data from EVN, the state-run utility. The government in a statement said, “The mobilization rate of coal-fired power plants will remain high, especially in the northern area,” next year.

The government said all the country’s coal-fired power plants will need to have their 2025 coal supply plans in place by the end of this year.

Four of the five largest thermal power plants in Vietnam, according to Global Data, burn coal. Those five largest power stations are:

• Duyen Hai Power Plant I & III, a 2,488-MW coal-fired facility in Tra Vinh that was commissioned in 2016.
• Vinh Tan Coal Fired Power Plant IV, a 1,800-MW coal-fired plant in Binh Thuan. It was commissioned in 2017.
• Ca Mau Combined Cycle Power Plant, a 1,500-MW natural gas-fired power plant that came online in 2008. It is located in Ca Mau.
• Duyen Hai Power Plant II is a 1,320-MW coal-fired facility that came online in 2021. It is located in Tra Vinh.
• Vinh Tan Coal Fired Power Plant II, which entered operation in 2014. The 1,244-MW coal-fired power plant is located in Binh Thuan.

—Darrell Proctor is a senior editor for POWER ().