The Ministry of Industry and Trade's new draft regulation mandates that Vietnam Electricity (EVN) will be the exclusive buyer of surplus electricity generated from self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power systems.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has submitted a draft decree to the government, outlining policies to encourage the development of self-produced and self-consumed rooftop solar power systems after gathering feedback from government members.

In the document, the ministry reiterates its support for the development of self-produced and self-consumed solar energy, installed on the rooftops of structures such as homes, government offices, industrial parks, export processing zones, high-tech zones, economic zones, production facilities, and business establishments, provided these structures are legally built.

The draft regulation explicitly states that EVN will be the sole buyer of this surplus power. Consequently, any attempt to sell electricity to organizations or individuals other than EVN will be considered a violation of the law.

The report also highlights that after several revisions, the Ministry of Industry and Trade remains consistent with two development models for this power source: one connected to the grid and one not connected to the grid.

According to the draft, organizations and individuals who install rooftop solar systems that are not connected to the national grid do not need to register. Instead, they only need to submit a notice and design documents to local authorities, including fire safety agencies, local power companies, and the Department of Industry and Trade for monitoring.

In contrast, rooftop solar systems that are connected to the national grid must follow registration requirements. Organizations and individuals can choose whether or not to send surplus power to the national grid.

For systems with an installed capacity of 100kW or more, organizations and individuals must reach an agreement with the buyer on equipment and connection methods, ensuring the system's safe operation within the national grid.

Households and individual houses installing rooftop solar systems with a capacity of less than 100kW can develop without any overall capacity restrictions across the country.

For self-produced, self-consumed systems with a capacity below 1,000kW, there is no need to register capacity with the Department of Industry and Trade, though related parties must be notified for monitoring purposes.

The draft policy encourages non-grid-connected systems to develop without capacity limits and exempts them from the need for electricity operation licenses. On the other hand, grid-connected projects are prioritized and exempt from having to amend land use or function according to legal regulations.

Organizations installing systems with a capacity of 1MW or more and opting to sell electricity to others must apply for an electricity operation license, while other cases are exempt.

Notably, systems with a capacity below 100kW can sell unused electricity to the national grid, but only up to 20% of the actual installed capacity.

The purchase price for surplus electricity will be based on the average market electricity price from the preceding year, as announced by the power system operator and the electricity market, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Tam An