Nghi Son power station

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Nghi Son power station is an operating power station of at least 1920-megawatts (MW) in Nghi Son Economic Zone, Hai Ha, Tinh Gia, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam.

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Nghi Son power station	Nghi Son Economic Zone, Hai Ha, Tinh Gia, Thanh Hoa, Vietnam	19.31581, 105.80026 (exact)

The map below shows the exact location of the power station.

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Phase 1 Unit 1, Phase 1 Unit 2, Phase 2 Unit 1, Phase 2 Unit 2: 19.31581, 105.80026

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year
Phase 1 Unit 1	operating	coal: anthracite	300	subcritical	2013
Phase 1 Unit 2	operating	coal: anthracite	300	subcritical	2014
Phase 2 Unit 1	operating	coal: bituminous	660	supercritical	2022
Phase 2 Unit 2	operating	coal: bituminous	660	supercritical	2022

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Phase 1 Unit 1	EVNGENCO 1 Corp [100%]	Vietnam Electricity LLC [100.0%]
Phase 1 Unit 2	EVNGENCO 1 Corp [100%]	Vietnam Electricity LLC [100.0%]
Phase 2 Unit 1	Nghi Son 2 Power LLC [100%]	Korea Electric Power Corp [50.0%]; Marubeni Corp [40.0%]; Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc [10.0%]
Phase 2 Unit 2	Nghi Son 2 Power LLC [100%]	Korea Electric Power Corp [50.0%]; Marubeni Corp [40.0%]; Tohoku Electric Power Co Inc [10.0%]

Background

The Nghi Sơn Economic Zone was created in 2005, and its future plans called for a power plant project totaling 1,800 MW.

Additionally, within the Nghi Sơn Economic Zone is the nearby Cong Thanh power station, which is also currently under development; several miles to the south, across the provincial border in Nghệ An province, is the Quynh Lap power station project site.

Nghi Sơn-1

In June 2010, project sponsor Electricity of Vietnam awarded the construction contract for the 600-MW, $1.2 billion Nghi Sơn-1 coal-fired power plant to Japan's Marubeni Corporation. Construction began in July. The plant's first 300-MW unit went online in June 2013; the second unit came online in June 2014.

In June 2023, Unit 1 was offline for 10 days following an incident that required repairs. In September 2023, Unit 2 was taken offline for planned maintenance. In February 2024, Unit 1 was reconnected to the grid following additional repairs. As of May 2024, both units were operating normally.

Financing for Nghi Sơn-1

In March 2007, the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) agreed to provide a US$772 million loan to the project. JICA provided two additional loans in 2011, one for approximately US$361 million and the other for approximately US$516 million.

Nghi Sơn-2

In March 2013, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade awarded a build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract for the 1,320 MW gross (1,200-MW net) Nghi Sơn-2 coal-fired power plant to a consortium consisting of Marubeni Corporation and Korea Electric Power Company (KEPCO). The plant is scheduled to come online in 2018; the two companies will then own and operate the plant for 25 years, after which ownership will revert to Electricity of Vietnam.

In August 2014, the project's developers and provincial authorities pushed to accelerate the plant's development process, in order to ensure that it would be able to be built on schedule. At that time, some financial, and contract details were still outstanding. As of April 2015, construction was expected to begin in August.

Land clearing began on the project in September 2015. The project did not begin actual construction at that date, however, as the project was still being negotiated.

In November 2016, Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade approved a new build-operate-transfer (BOT) contract by Marubeni and KEPCO. The project would cost US$2.3 billion, with 50% coming from the two companies and 50% from a consortium of banks. Unit 1 was scheduled to come online by Sept. 2019, and Unit 2 by March 2020.

In November 2017, KEPCO finalized the US$2.3 billion (2.56 trillion won) contract with Electricity of Vietnam (EVN). KEPCO said it will break ground this year and complete the project in 2021. Once completed, KEPCO will operate it for 25 years before transferring it to the Vietnamese.

In July 2018, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction Co. said it had commenced the delayed construction on the plant after it received an advanced payment of US$170 million for the US$1.6 billion deal it secured in 2014. The plant is planned for operation in 2022.

Planet satellite photos show physical construction began in late 2018.

In February 2020, the National Steering Committee on power development reported that construction was 52.35% complete and that Unit 1 was scheduled to be commissioned in February 2022 and Unit 2 in August 2022. Unit 1 was commissioned in March 2022.

As of July 2022, Nghi Sơn-2 appeared to be at a full 1,200 MW capacity. On Aug. 28, 2022, an official inauguration and commissioning ceremony for the plant was held.

Financing for Nghi Sơn-2

In April 2018, the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) agreed to provide US$560 million in loan funding for the 1200 MW Nghi Son 2 plant in Vietnam. The Export-Import Bank of Korea is also providing US$560 million, while a coalition of banks from Japan, Singapore, and Malaysia, comprising DBS Bank, Mizuho Bank, Maybank, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, OCBC Bank, Shinsei Bank, and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, are providing the remaining US$747.86 million. Malaysia's Maybank agreed to finance the project in April 2018 after the withdrawal that month of Standard Chartered. Marubeni and KEPCO are providing US$432 million in equity to the project. Construction of the plant was complete and test operations were occurring in December 2021.

Opposition

On November 15, 2017, Japanese environmentalists released a statement opposing the Japanese and South Korean support for the Vietnamese Nghi Son power plant. They opposed for reasons of inefficient technology, air pollution, and premature deaths. The environmentalists included Friends of the Earth Japan, Kiko Network, Mekong Watch, and more.

In response to the financial support of the Nghi Son power plant by the Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group Inc. (SMFG), environmental NGOs, such as 350.org Japan, Greenpeace Japan, and more, opposed their financial investments with a public statement. They identified the coal plant as having environmental and social risk, and urged SMFG to diverge its funding for the plan. In March 2018, environmental groups also wrote a petition urging the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) to stop its financial investments into the Nghi Son power plant. They cited reasons such as the plant was not compatible with the Paris Agreement, the technology for the plant is against Japanese Government policy, and the plant would worsen Vietnamese air pollution. There were 61 groups from 23 countries that supported the revocation of JBIC’s finances in the Nghi Son power plant project.

In May 2019, human rights issues about the Nghi Son power plant were brought to attention by environmentalist groups. Specifically, Nghi Son power plant was allegedly approved with no consultation from the project-affected communities. According to the Vietnamese community organizations, the residents’ resettlement has been “unsatisfactory.” In October 2019, the Renewable Energy Institute released a report around the benefits of replacing coal power with renewable energy. Problems around health and environment from coal plants, including the Nghi Son power plant, were discussed.

Articles and Resources

Additional data

To access additional data, including an interactive map of coal-fired power stations, a downloadable dataset, and summary data, please visit the Global Coal Plant Tracker on the Global Energy Monitor website.