NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ speaks at the (NA) Standing Committee's meeting on electricity planning and pricing on Thursday. VNA/VNS Photo Doãn Tấn

HÀ NỘI – The National Assembly (NA) Standing Committee on Thursday provided opinions on the thematic supervision report regarding the implementation of energy development policies and laws during the 2016-2021 period, focusing on electricity planning and pricing.

Bùi Văn Cường, the NA General Secretary and Chairman of the NA Office, highlighted the complexity and depth of the issues, with a multitude of aspects to be examined.

Cường pointed out that several issues had arisen during the thematic supervision, including a shortage of stability, comprehensiveness, and consistency in the legal framework. There were many problems that required revisions to legal documents, including the proposal for two new laws to address the State's management of this issue.

In particular, the implementation of energy planning was facing many challenges, especially funding, technology development, human resources and regulatory mechanisms. Ensuring national energy security was challenging, domestic energy sources were falling short of requirements, posing the risk of short-term and long-term power shortages. The prerequisites for establishing the power market had not been adequately implemented, and price policies on electricity, coal, gas and oil remained incomplete.

The report also highlighted shortcomings in both legal policies and their practical implementation. It provided short-term, medium-term, and long-term recommendations to address these issues.

Cường said that the monitoring team would focus on completing the report. They would seek the opinions of the NA Standing Committee before submitting it at the 6th session of the NA.

Electricity pricing was a critical issue, in which financial investment mechanisms should be focused on, said Lê Quang Huy, head of the NA’s Committee on Science, Technology and the Environment and head of the monitoring team.

In the context of achieving fair energy transition, an essential objective on the path to zero emissions, the monitoring team said international community support and commitments were required. This encompassed financial resources, technology transfer and managerial capacity. The monitoring delegation would provide further insights into this aspect.

For key projects, the monitoring team had detailed annexes that contained information on each project, highlighting challenges and difficulties. They would also incorporate various aspects such as energy planning, energy reserves, energy supply, social policies, and employment, which were of public interest.

During the session, NA Vice Chairman Trần Quang Phương stressed the need for an assessment of the obstacles and challenges in managing electricity, coal, gas and oil prices. This assessment should investigate the reasons behind any problems and clarify lines of responsibility.

A more thorough evaluation of the implementation of the Seventh National Power Development Plan (2011-2020) was required, addressing the issues between planning and electricity transmission that led to instances of excess electricity without integration into the national power grid, he said.

Phương also suggested pinpointing key solutions for ensuring energy security, comprehensive sector planning that aligned with branch-specific planning, rectifying discrepancies in sector-specific plans, and prioritising energy infrastructure, scientific and technological development, and the energy market.

Deputy Inspector General of the Government Lê Sỹ Bảy said the Government was also resolute in its efforts to adjust the electricity and fuel pricing mechanisms and to manage energy and power grids. Government agencies were actively involved in inspections and audits regarding these matters.

He also suggested the monitoring team add more recommendations to the National Assembly's resolution regarding energy sector planning and its implementation by related energy sectors such as electricity and fuel.

At the discussion, NA Chairman Vương Đình Huệ said the thematic report should clearly delineate the responsibilities of relevant agencies and organisations. The focal point of the monitoring activities should concentrate on the implementation of the Seventh National Power Development Plan and the plans for coming years. – VNS