HCMC – Pleikrong Hydropower Plant and Se San 3 Hydropower Plant joined Vietnam’s competitive wholesale electricity market on June 1, adding a combined 360 MW of generation capacity to the country’s market based power trading system.
The move marks another step in Vietnam’s efforts to expand its electricity market, with the aim of increasing transparency in power dispatch and improving the efficiency of power system operations, EVN said on its website.
Ialy Hydropower Company, which operates both facilities, said preparations related to technology infrastructure, personnel and operational planning had been completed before the plants entered the market.
Under the competitive market mechanism, the plants will submit electricity bids during trading intervals rather than generate power solely under traditional dispatch arrangements.
The change is expected to give operators greater flexibility in managing water resources and optimizing revenue.
One advantage of the hydropower complex is the Pleikrông reservoir, which has a storage capacity of more than one billion cubic meters and regulates water flows to the downstream Se San 3 plant. As both facilities are operated by the same company, reservoir management, water valuation and bidding strategies can be coordinated more effectively.
The two plants’ four generating units can start up quickly and adjust output flexibly, enabling them to respond to grid dispatch requirements. The company said the market’s 30-minute trading intervals would also allow the plants to capitalize on periods of higher electricity prices.
Vietnam’s competitive wholesale electricity market is a key stage in the country’s power sector reform, allowing generators to bid and compete in the dispatch process rather than relying entirely on traditional allocation mechanisms.
