In the context of Vietnam's accelerated development of renewable energy and implementation of the revised Power Development Plan VIII, HVDC transmission technology is being considered a strategic solution for long-distance power transmission, integrating green energy sources, and improving the stability of the national power system.
Professor Tran Quoc Tuan from INSTN University, University of Paris Saclay (Republic of France), and also the Fellow Scientist Research Director at the French Atomic Energy and Alternative Energy Commission (CEA), shared many perspectives on the global development trends of HVDC and its potential applications in Vietnam.
Professor Tran Quoc Tuan
HVDC is suitable for Vietnam's extensive power grid
Professor, why is HVDC technology considered particularly suitable for Vietnam?
Professor Tran Quoc Tuan: Vietnam is a country with a geographical structure stretching along the North-South axis, with power transmission lines over 500 km long. HVDC technology has many advantages over alternating current (AC) power transmission.
Firstly, HVDC is more economically efficient for long-distance power transmission. This is a crucial factor as Vietnam is aiming to develop large-scale renewable energy centers in the central and southern regions to transmit power to the north.
Secondly, HVDC significantly reduces power system stability issues. With traditional AC grids, voltage and system stability have always been major challenges, especially as the proportion of renewable energy increases rapidly.
Thirdly, HVDC offers significant savings in transmission line corridors and land area. Currently, Vietnam has built three 500 kV AC North-South transmission lines. If we continue to develop using the traditional AC model, it would be difficult to build 5 to 10 more lines due to the immense environmental pressure, land acquisition requirements, and social impacts.
Meanwhile, one HVDC line has the transmission capacity equivalent to approximately three AC lines, which is an extremely important advantage for Vietnam in the long term.
Standards and operating regulations for HVDC need to be established soon
- The revised Power Development Plan VIII has set out directions for the development and research of high-voltage power plants. According to the professor, what are the issues that need to be prepared for right now?
Professor Tran Quoc Tuan: In the revised Power Development Plan VIII, Vietnam has oriented the development of several large high-voltage transmission lines, such as the Central-Northern region and the South-Central-Northern region. However, there are still many issues that need further research.
For example, the choice of power capacity, voltage level, technology to use, and how integrating HVDC lines into the existing power system will affect the operation of the national power grid.
This is not a problem unique to Vietnam; all countries must address it when deploying high-voltage power lines.
Another crucial issue is the need to develop technical standards, regulations, and operating rules (grid codes). In my opinion, Vietnam needs to do this as soon as possible, before implementing any projects. If technical standards are revised only after the projects are completed, significant difficulties will arise in operation later on.
Therefore, what we hope to achieve through these scientific seminars is not to discuss bidding or investor selection, but to provide a scientific basis and create a forum for the electricity industry and universities to collaborate on research, enhance professional capacity, and prepare resources for the future.
- Vietnam currently has about 28% of its power capacity from renewable energy sources. How will HVDC support the integration of these power sources, Professor?
Professor Tran Quoc Tuan: This is a very important issue. As we know, solar and wind power currently account for about 28% of Vietnam's power generation structure. According to the scenarios in the Power Development Plan VIII, by 2030, the scale of renewable energy sources will increase very strongly, and by 2050, it could increase tenfold compared to that of the present.
As the proportion of renewable energy increases, the power system will face numerous challenges regarding operational stability and regulation.
Therefore, HVDC is not simply a long-distance power transmission technology, but also a tool to support the integration of renewable energy, enhance the absorption of green power sources, optimize power distribution, and improve the stability of the national power system.
If implemented comprehensively, HVDC will contribute significantly to the operation of a more flexible, stable, and efficient power system in the future.
Thank you very much, Professor!
Translator: Nguy峄卬 Th峄� Lan Anh
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