VIETNAM: Roadmap for Natural Gas Market Development

Viet Nam has a long-standing energy policy orientation that emphasises the crucial role of natural gas in providing reliable, competitive electricity. However, despite the considerable achievements recorded by the gas sector to-date, the sector will need to become more efficient, more competitive, and more transparent if it is to serve the longer-term interests of Viet Nam which include ensuring energy security and addressing the issue of climate change. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has recognized this and instructed the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) to develop a roadmap for the gradual liberalization of the gas sector. MOIT in turn has requested assistance from the World Bank in developing the roadmap.

The report that follows was prepared by Intelligent Energy Systems Pty Ltd (IES) in association with Energy Market Consulting associates (EMCa), who were engaged by the World Bank to develop the detailed recommendations that make up the roadmap.

The recommended Gas Market Roadmap sets out a sequence of gas sector reform measures covering the legal framework, planning process, institutional structure, gas market mechanisms, and infrastructure development. The pace of the proposed reforms is designed to be evolutionary and conservative, avoiding a “big bang” industry restructuring that could present insurmountable implementation challenges given Viet Nam’s current policy and institutional setting. The reform roadmap was also designed to be compatible with the on- going reform program in the electricity sector.