Industry news
Vietnam plans 292 transmission projects by 2030: what it means for substation commissioning
Vietnam is preparing one of the largest transmission build-outs in Southeast Asia. Under the revised Power Development Plan VIII (PDP VIII), Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and its transmission arm, the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), are responsible for 292 transmission projects between 2026 and 2030, according to Power Line (August 2026).
The programme in numbers
| Item | 2026–2030 |
|---|---|
| Transmission projects | 292 (78 at 500 kV, 214 at 220 kV) |
| Transmission lines | about 16,665 km |
| Transformer capacity | 91,263 MVA |
| Estimated investment | VND 157.9 trillion |
Funding is a challenge. At a forum organised by the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Vietnam Energy Association in August 2025, total capital demand for grid investment in 2025–2030 was put at about US$18.1 billion. EVN's own funding capacity for 2026–2030, about VND 180.75 trillion, covers only around 40 % of what PDP VIII requires, so social and private capital is expected to play a larger part (SGGP).
What 91,000 MVA of new transformers means
Every 500 kV and 220 kV substation in the programme brings power transformers, circuit breakers, instrument transformers and protection that must be tested before energisation. With almost 300 projects in five years, many substations will be commissioned in parallel by EVNNPT teams, provincial power companies and EPC contractors.
A typical commissioning scope for each new substation includes:
- Power transformers: turns ratio, winding resistance, tan delta and capacitance, SFRA and oil breakdown voltage.
- Circuit breakers and GIS: timing and travel, contact resistance, SF6 moisture and on-site AC withstand tests.
- CTs, VTs and protection: CT excitation, ratio and polarity and relay secondary injection.
- 220 kV cables: after-installation AC tests where lines enter cities as underground cable.
Why test equipment planning matters now
When dozens of substations are commissioned in the same year, test sets become a bottleneck in their own right. Contractors that plan their instrument fleet early, standardise on equipment their teams already know and keep reports in the format EVNNPT expects will move faster from energisation to handover. Battery-powered and lightweight instruments also help on remote line and substation sites with limited auxiliary supply.
HUAC supplies transformer, switchgear, CT/VT, relay and high-voltage test equipment to utilities and contractors in Vietnam and across Southeast Asia. Send us your substation scope and we will propose a commissioning test set.
Sources
- Power Line, "Vietnam's EVNNPT to complete 292 projects under revised PDP VIII", 17 August 2026.
- SGGP, "Total capital demand for grid investment in 2025–2030 exceeds US$18 billion", 15 August 2025.