Energy Transition Update: 07.9 - 14.9.2026
Energy Transition Update: 07.9-14.9.2026
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Energy Transition Update: 07.9-14.9.2026 ---
FROM STANDALONE PROJECTS TO CCS HUBS: CO₂ TRANSPORT AND STORAGE AS A SERVICE AND IMPLICATIONS FOR VIETNAM
Năng lượng Việt Nam – 11 September 2026
Global carbon capture and storage (CCS) is shifting from standalone projects towards shared hubs that transport and store CO₂ from multiple emitters. By July 2025, there were 734 CCS projects globally, including 77 operating facilities with 64 million tonnes of annual capture capacity, while transport-and-storage projects had become the largest project category. Shared infrastructure can make CCS more accessible to smaller emitters, but experience from Norway, the UK, the Netherlands and Canada shows that governments often need to absorb early investment and demand risks. For Vietnam, CCS hubs could suit major coastal industrial clusters in the Southeast, Southwest, North Central and Northeast regions, although potential storage sites still need to be properly assessed. The revised Petroleum Law provides an initial legal basis, but rules for pricing, third-party access and operation of shared infrastructure remain underdeveloped. Vietnam’s first priority should therefore be to establish a clear institutional model for shared CO₂ transport and storage and assess suitable geological storage sites, rather than immediately deciding which individual plants should install carbon capture.
REVIEWING POWER DEVELOPMENT PLAN VIII AND VIETNAM’S POWER SUPPLY–DEMAND BALANCE FOR 2030–2035
Năng lượng Việt Nam – 13 September 2026
Vietnam is reviewing its adjusted Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8) as electricity demand grows faster and becomes more complex. In the first half of 2026, electricity sales rose 10.2%, reaching 152.5 billion kWh, while growth in the North was even higher at 13.1%. New demand from AI, data centres, semiconductor manufacturing, high-tech industries, electric transport and the North–South high-speed railway could put additional pressure on both generation and local grids. At the same time, planned LNG, offshore wind, nuclear power and energy-storage projects may face delays, creating potential supply gaps during 2030–2035. The review therefore needs to consider several demand and project-delay scenarios, with backup sources and transmission capacity prepared in advance rather than assuming every planned project will arrive on schedule. More frequent monitoring of demand, generation and grid development could make PDP8 a more flexible and adaptive planning system, helping Vietnam secure reliable electricity while supporting new investment and economic growth.
HO CHI MINH CITY: FROM TREATING MILLIONS OF CUBIC METRES OF DREDGED SLUDGE TO USING IT AS NEW INFRASTRUCTURE MATERIAL
VnEconomy – 10 September 2026
Ho Chi Minh City expects around 8.4 million m³ of dredged sludge from 55 infrastructure projects during 2026-2030, creating both a disposal challenge and an opportunity to recover useful materials. Four major canal projects alone are expected to generate more than 4 million m³, with delays partly linked to the lack of suitable receiving sites. The city has now identified seven onshore locations with capacity for about 12.5 million m³, several of which could use suitable dredged material for land filling. However, not all sludge can be reused; its physical and chemical properties must first meet environmental and construction requirements. Better testing and classification could separate reusable material from waste requiring conventional treatment. This approach could reduce disposal and transport costs while turning part of a large waste stream into a secondary material for infrastructure development, supporting a more circular use of resources.
Summarised by Phan Le and Hai Thanh Nguyen
In collaboration with the ANU Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions