Pha Lai Power Complex - Global Energy Monitor - GEM.wiki

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Pha Lai Power Complex is an operating power station of at least 1040-megawatts (MW) in Pha Lai, Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam with multiple units, some of which are not currently operating.

Contents

• 1 Location
  • 1.1 Table 1: Project-level location details
• 2 Project Details
  • 2.1 Table 2: Unit-level details
  • 2.2 Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details
• 3 Ownership Tree
• 4 Background
  • 4.1 Phả Lại-1 and Phả Lại-2
  • 4.2 Phả Lại-3
  • 4.3 Environmental Impact
• 5 Typhoon Yagi
• 6 Articles and Resources
  • 6.1 References
  • 6.2 Additional data

Location

Table 1: Project-level location details

Plant name	Location	Coordinates (WGS 84)
Pha Lai Power Complex	Pha Lai, Chi Linh, Hai Duong, Vietnam	21.117004, 106.308581 (exact)

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Unit-level coordinates (WGS 84):

• Phase II Unit 1, Phase II Unit 2, Phase III: 21.117004, 106.308581
• Phase I Unit 1, Phase I Unit 2, Phase I Unit 3, Phase I Unit 4: 21.116894, 106.305873

Project Details

Table 2: Unit-level details

Unit name	Status	Fuel(s)	Capacity (MW)	Technology	Start year	Retired year
Phase I Unit 1	Operating	coal: anthracite	110	subcritical	1983	2030 (planned)[1]
Phase I Unit 2	Operating	coal: anthracite	110	subcritical	1984	2030 (planned)[1]
Phase I Unit 3	Operating	coal: anthracite	110	subcritical	1985	2030 (planned)[1]
Phase I Unit 4	Operating	coal: anthracite	110	subcritical	1986	2030 (planned)[1]
Phase II Unit 1	Operating	coal: anthracite	300	subcritical	2002	2050 (planned)[2]
Phase II Unit 2	Operating	coal: anthracite	300	subcritical	2002	2050 (planned)[2]
Phase III	Cancelled	coal: anthracite	660	unknown	–	–

Table 3: Unit-level ownership and operator details

Unit name	Owner	Parent
Phase I Unit 1	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase I Unit 2	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase I Unit 3	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase I Unit 4	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 1	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase II Unit 2	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]
Phase III	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100%]	Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC [100.0%]

Ownership Tree

This ownership tree is part of the Global Energy Ownership Tracker, a project of Global Energy Monitor.

Background

Phả Lại-1 and Phả Lại-2

Construction of the 440-MW Phả Lại-1 started on 17 May 1980 and was completed in 1986.[3] It consists of four 110-MW turbines and eight boilers. Construction of the 600-MW second plant started on 8 June 1998 and it was completed in 2001 by Lilama Construction Company.[4] It consists of two 300-MW units with Mitsui Babcock Energy designed natural circulation boilers and General Electric generators.[5]

In July 2022, the power station was listed by the Ministry of Industry and Trade as a plant that was not fulfilling its coal procurement commitment contract. Reasons cited included the COVID-19 pandemic and price increases caused by the war in Ukraine.[6]

In October 2023, a ceremony was held to mark the power station's 40th anniversary of operation. At the event, research and planning for a potential fuel conversion of the 4 x 110 MW Phả Lại-1 units was mentioned.[7]

In January 2024, reporting indicated that Pha Lai Power Complex operated at a net loss of 31 billion VND (1.2 million USD) in the fourth quarter of 2023. The loss was said to be due to "major" maintenance and repairs.[8] The power station was profitable in the first quarter of 2024.[9] In June 2024, the impacted unit was reportedly brought back online.[10]

In September 2024, REE Energy Company Limited, a subsidiary of Refrigeration Electrical Engineering Corporation, registered to sell shares of Pha Lai Thermal Power Corporation and reduce its ownership of the corporation. The company cited a new focus on clean energy and divestment for coal as the reasons for the sale.[11]

In December 2024, Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC announced that the power station would officially eliminate the use of coal for Phả Lại-1 by 2035 and for Phả Lại-2 by 2050. Phả Lại-1 would pilot co-firing biomass from 2027 to 2029, fire 50% biomass until 2035, and transition to fully biomass-fired by 2035. Phả Lại-2 would co-fire 20% ammonia by 2030, fire 30-50% ammonia by 2040, and transition to fully ammonia-fired by 2050.[12]

In April 2025, reporting stated that the Pha Lai Power Complex was eligible to convert to LNG. A "flexible" 1,200 MW power plant was planned to be built in the complex by 2035. Capacity equivalent to Phả Lại-1 was slated to be developed by 2030 and would be expanded by 760 MW by 2035.[13] The original Phả Lại-1 units would be retired when the first phase of the LNG plant came online.[14]

As of June 2025, Phả Lại-1 Unit 3 had not been refurbished and was operating at a low capacity.[14]

Phả Lại-3

In January 2019 Phả Lại Thermal Power JSC announced that it was conducting a pre-feasibility study to add Phả Lại-3 to the Power Development Plan VIII and expected to break ground in 2020-2021.[15] In October 2019 Phả Lại Thermal Power JSC convened a meeting of the People's Committee of Chi Linh City, National Power Transmission Corporation, and Hai Duong Power Company to plan for the development of the 660-MW Phả Lại-3 coal-fired plant.[16]

In June 2021, the Ministry of Industry and Trade stated that the Phả Lại-3 expansion would probably be delayed until after 2030 due to difficulties in mobilizing capital.[17] An October 2021 report by GreenID lists the Phả Lại-3 power station as one of 18 coal-fired power stations in Vietnam that was struggling to secure financing. Given that China, Japan, and South Korea have all committed to stop financing new coal-fired power stations, it will be extremely difficult for any of these projects to secure funding in the future.[18]

On July 4, 2022, the Ministry of Industry and Trade appeared to provide an update on the draft PDP. The document’s list of major power projects planned for 2021-2030 (PDF pages 18-20) did not include the project.[19] On July 15, 2022, the Deputy Prime Minister appeared to request further review of the major power projects that had been included in the revised PDP VII but not in the draft PDP VIII.[20] Because the project was not listed in PDP VII or VIII, it was presumed shelved.

In June 2024, the Phả Lại-3 project was described as "not approved".[10]

Environmental Impact

As of January 2024, Phả Lại-1 had reportedly been fined by the Police Department for Environmental Crime Prevention and Control and ordered to suspend operations for 12 months. The power station was said to have exceeded dust, SO3, and NOx emissions limits. However, the power station did not comply with the order and continued to operate. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment had not officially requested the power station to stop operating, because the capacity was necessary for national energy security.[21]

Typhoon Yagi

In September 2024, a severe storm event, Typhoon Yagi, impacted Hai Duong Province. A unit at Pha Lai Power Complex was impacted by the storm. The unit returned to operation within the day.[22]

Articles and Resources

References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 https://theleader.vn/nhiet-dien-het-thoi-pha-lai-rot-ty-do-lam-dien-khi-d40922.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 https://baohaiphong.vn/nhiet-dien-pha-lai-se-khong-su-dung-than-dot-399651.html. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
3. ↑ Pha Lai Power Station, Wikipedia, accessed May 2020
4. ↑ "Pha Lai Thermal Power JSC: Full Operation to Power National Economy". Vietnam Business Forum. 2010-08-17. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
5. ↑ "Pha Lai Coal-Fired Power Plant, Vietnam". Power Technology. Net Resources International. Retrieved 2012-09-30.
6. ↑ Thermal power plants hungry for coal, Vietnam Net Global, July 15, 2022
7. ↑ Nhiệt điện Phả Lại: Những dấu ấn đặc biệt trong hành trình 40 năm, Công Ty Cổ Phần Nhiệt Điện Phả Lại, October 29, 2023
8. ↑ Kinh doanh dưới giá vốn, vì sao Nhiệt điện Phả Lại vẫn lãi hơn 430 tỷ?, Người đưa tin, January 20, 2024
9. ↑ Nhiệt điện Phả Lại (PPC) báo lãi quý I/2024 tăng gần 4 lần cùng kỳ, Doanh Nhân, April 22, 2024
10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 "Nhiệt điện Phả Lại ước lãi 135 tỷ trong 5 tháng, tổ máy S2 vận hành lại từ tháng 6," Vietnambiz, June 13, 2024
11. ↑ "Nhà đầu tư rút vốn khỏi Nhiệt điện Phả Lại," Báo điện tử Đầu tư, October 3, 2024
12. ↑ "Nhiệt điện Phả Lại sẽ không sử dụng than đốt," Báo điện tử Hải Dương, December 5, 2024
13. ↑ Nhiệt điện Phả Lại đủ điều kiện chuyển đổi nhiên liệu và công nghệ, Năng lượng Việt Nam Online, April 28, 2025
14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Nhiệt điện 'hết thời', Phả Lại rót 'tỷ đô' làm điện khí, Báo Mới, June 27, 2025
15. ↑ Nhiệt điện Phả Lại: "Lá cờ đầu" ngành nhiệt điện, Cong Thuong, Jan. 20, 2020
16. ↑ PPC: Quy hoạch dự án Nhiệt điện Phả Lại 3, ppc.evn.vn, Oct. 30, 2019
17. ↑ Đức Dũng, Đến năm 2025, Việt Nam có thể rơi vào tình trạng thiếu điện, BAN BIÊN TẬP TIN KINH TẾ, Thông tấn xã Việt Nam, June 17, 2021
18. ↑ Trung Chanh, 18 dự án nhiệt điện than trong quy hoạch khó tiếp cận vốn, The Saigon Times, Oct. 3, 2021
19. ↑ “Draft National Power Development Plan VIII,” MOIT, July 4, 2022
20. ↑ “Thiệt hại ra sao nếu không làm 2.430MW điện mặt trời ngoài quy hoạch Điện 8,” Laodong, July 18, 2022
21. ↑ Pha Lai Thermal Power Plant is still operating despite being ordered to suspend for 1 year, vietnam.vn, January 26, 2024
22. ↑ EVNGENCO2 kiểm tra, hỗ trợ khắc phục thiệt hại từ bão Yagi tại Nhiệt điện Hải Phòng và Phả Lại, Công Thương, September 11, 2024

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.