Workers of Vietnam Electricity check the transmission system. — VNA/VNS Photo

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Science and Technology has urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to direct Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to apply tariffs consistently to data centres nationwide, after differences in tariff treatment raised operating costs for some facilities.

The Ministry of Science and Technology said most power companies nationwide have inspected the actual electricity use of data centres and signed power purchase agreements applying the production electricity tariff, in line with guidance issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade in April.

However, HCM City Electricity and some of its units have continued to apply the commercial tariff rather than production tariff to data centres and demanded payment of the difference.

In a petition, Viettel and CMC said they face difficulties in applying commercial electricity tariffs to their data centres in southern Việt Nam, including Viettel’s facility at Bình Dương High-Tech Park and CMC’s at HCM City High-Tech Park.

The application of commercial electricity tariffs has left Viettel and CMC with overdue electricity bills worth billions of Vietnamese đồng.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade issued Document 2818 on April 22 instructing EVN on the application of electricity tariffs to data centres.

Under the guidance, electricity prices are determined according to the purpose for which electricity is used under Circular 60/2025/TT-BCT.

Technical systems that directly provide and maintain data-centre services are subject to the manufacturing tariff, while service-business areas such as offices and transaction points are subject to the commercial tariff.

If the electricity buyer and seller cannot agree on the proportion of electricity used for different purposes, the manufacturing tariff should be applied to the data centre's technical systems.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has urged the Ministry of Industry and Trade to instruct EVN and its subsidiaries to implement the guidance consistently nationwide and maintain uninterrupted electricity supplies to data centres.

Data centres are an important component of Việt Nam's digital infrastructure, and interruptions to their power supply could affect information systems and economic activities relying on digital services, the ministry said. Electricity prices are also an important factor to attract investment in data centres in Việt Nam. 

The government has also identified cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) as strategic technologies under Politburo’s Resolution 57, which calls for policies to support domestic investment in data centres and cloud computing infrastructure and attract foreign companies to establish such facilities in Việt Nam.

The Ministry of Science and Technology has warned that higher commercial electricity tariffs could significantly increase data-centre operating costs and undermine investment efficiency.

A representative of the Electricity Department under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said the Thủ Đức Electricity Company and data-centre operators should reach agreement on the classification of electricity use to ensure tariffs are applied in accordance with existing regulations and guidance.

The ministry will continue reviewing the current regulations and may consider amendments based on practical implementation. — BIZHUB/VNS