Vietnam's Power Grid Expansion Opens Long-Term Opportunities for the Wire and Cable Industry

Vietnam is entering a new phase of power-system investment in which transmission capacity must expand alongside electricity demand, renewable generation and industrial growth. The revised National Power Development Plan VIII, approved under Decision No. 768/QD-TTg in April 2025, provides one of the clearest official indicators of the scale of work planned through 2030.

A larger high-voltage network

The revised plan calls for 102,900 MVA of new 500 kV substation capacity and 105,565 MVA of new 220 kV substation capacity during 2025-2030. It also provides for upgrades to existing substations and transmission routes. These figures describe a national planning framework rather than a single procurement package, but they show the direction and technical scale of Vietnam's grid programme.

Implementation pressure is already visible. Vietnam Electricity reported that the National Power Transmission Corporation managed approximately 33,833 km of 500 kV and 220 kV lines and 223 substations as of September 2026. Power transmitted during the first eight months of 2026 increased by 10.87% year on year, underlining the need to expand capacity while maintaining reliable operation.

Financing and delivery remain central challenges

EVNNPT has indicated that about 220 projects under the revised plan could require roughly VND 204 trillion in loan capital through 2030, excluding certain HVDC and nuclear-related transmission projects. The corporation is considering a mix of official development assistance, international and domestic commercial finance, development-bank funding and other channels.

Capital availability is only one part of the delivery challenge. Grid projects also depend on planning alignment, land access, engineering capacity, equipment availability, testing and coordinated commissioning. This creates a market in which suppliers must compete not only on price, but also on documented performance, standards compliance, project references and dependable delivery.

What the plan means for the cable value chain

For the wire and cable industry, the official programme points to sustained application potential across overhead conductors, high-voltage and extra-high-voltage cable systems, optical ground wire, substation cable, control and instrumentation cable, accessories, joints, terminations and testing equipment. Demand will not be uniform: technical requirements differ between long-distance transmission, urban substations, renewable-energy connections and inter-regional reinforcement.

Vietnam's grid build-out should therefore be viewed as a long-term industrial programme rather than a short purchasing cycle. Cable producers, materials companies, machinery suppliers, testing specialists and contractors that understand the country's standards and project-delivery environment will be better positioned to participate.

Sources

Planning figures are drawn from the Government of Vietnam summary of the revised Power Development Plan VIII. Current network and investment information is based on updates from Vietnam Electricity and its report on the transmission financing programme through 2030.