Circular No. 12/2024/TT-BCT Amending and supplementing certain Circulars of the Minister of Industry and Trade related to system operation and national power market

 CIRCULAR

AMENDMENTS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO CERTAIN CIRCULARS OF THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

RELATED TO SYSTEM OPERATIONS AND NATIONAL ELECTRICITY MARKET MANAGEMENT

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On the basis of Law on Electricity dated December 3, 2004; Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Electricity dated November 20, 2012; Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Public Investment; Law on Public-Private Partnership Investment; Law on Investment; Law on Housing; Law on Bidding; Law on Electricity; Law on Enterprises; Special Consumption Tax Law; Civil Enforcement Act dated January 11, 2022;

Decree No. Decree No. 96/2022/NĐ-CP dated November 29, 2022 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade; Decree No. 105/2024/NĐ-CP dated August 1, 2024 of the Government amending and supplementing certain provisions of Decree No. 96/2022/NĐ-CP dated November 29, 2022 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and Decree No. 26/2018/NĐ-CP dated February 28, 2018 of the Government on the charter and operation of the Vietnam Electricity Corporation;

Pursuant to Decree No. 137/2013/NĐ-CP dated October 21, 2013 of the Government detailing the implementation of certain provisions of the Law on Electricity and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Electricity;

At the proposal of the Director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority;

The Minister of Industry and Trade issues this Circular amending and supplementing certain Circulars of the Minister of Industry and Trade related to system operations and national electricity market management.

Article 1. Amend and supplement certain contents of Circular No. 45/2018/TT-BCT dated November 15, 2018 of the Minister of Industry and Trade stipulating the operation of the competitive wholesale electricity market and amending and supplementing certain provisions of Circular No. 56/2014/TT-BCT dated December 19, 2014 of the Minister of Industry and Trade stipulating the method for determining electricity generation prices and the procedures for inspecting power purchase contracts (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 45/2018/TT-BCT)

Clause 1. Amend Clause 4 of Article 17 as follows:

"4. Before October 25 each year, the System and Market Operator shall be responsible for soliciting opinions from the Vietnam Electricity Corporation, power generation units, and bulk power purchasing units regarding the plan for operating the electricity market in the following year.

These units shall be responsible for sending their opinions on the plan for operating the electricity market in the following year to the System and Market Operator before November 5 each year. Based on the opinions of these units, the System and Market Operator shall complete the calculations and submit them to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for review and approval of the plan for operating the electricity market in the following year (including calculation results, input data, and calculation explanations) before November 15 each year.

Clause 2. Add Clause 12 to Article 52 as follows:

"12. Fuel consumption obligations of BOT power plants provided by the Vietnam Electricity Corporation to the System and Market Operator."

Clause 3. Add Clause 11 to Article 58 as follows:

"11. Fuel consumption obligations of BOT power plants provided by the Vietnam Electricity Corporation to the System and Market Operator."

Clause 4. Amend Clause 3 of Article 72 as follows:

"3. Bulk power purchasing units shall be responsible for collecting metering data within their management scope, including solar rooftop data, and submitting it to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation's metering data repository and the System and Market Operator."

Clause 5. Add Article 132a as follows:

"Article 132a. Responsibilities of the System and Market Operator

1. Invest in, construct, install, and upgrade the Electricity Market Information System and software serving the electricity market in accordance with the requirements stipulated in this Circular.

2. Conduct inspections and recognize positions involved in the operation of the electricity market in accordance with the relevant regulations for the competitive wholesale electricity market.

3. Guide market participants on the procedures for registering to participate in the electricity market as stipulated in this Circular and upgrade the Electricity Market Information Website to allow power generation units to submit registration applications online."

1. Amend Clause 8 of Article 3 as follows:

“8. Operation certificate is a certificate issued by the National Power System Dispatching Unit, the dispatching level with authority to control or dispatch, or the higher-level dispatching unit, granted to positions at various dispatching levels, substations, power plants, and control centers directly involved in dispatching and operating the national power system after training and examination.

2. Amend Clause 1 of Article 5 as follows:

2. Amend Clause 1 of Article 5 as follows:

"1. The national dispatching level is the highest command and dispatching level in the dispatching work of the national power system. The national dispatching level is undertaken by the National Power System Dispatching Unit."

“4. In special cases, depending on actual circumstances, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall specifically classify the control rights and inspection rights.”

3. Amend Clause 4 of Article 6 as follows:

"4. For special cases, depending on actual circumstances, the National Power System Dispatching Unit will specifically assign control rights and inspection rights."

7. Implement the signing of agreements regarding relay protection systems and automatic systems according to the Transmission System Regulations and Distribution System Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

4. Amend Clause 5 and supplement Clauses 7 and 8 of Article 26 as follows:

"5. Manage the operation of the SCADA/EMS system, telecommunications, information systems, and other systems belonging to the assets of the national dispatching level.

7. Implement agreements on protection relays and automatic systems according to the Transmission System Regulations and Distribution System Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

8. Implement agreements on dispatching operations of interconnection lines in cases of cross-border electricity trade."

7. Implement agreements on protection relays and automatic systems according to the Transmission System Regulations and Distribution System Regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

7. Amend Article 36 as follows:

5. Supplement Clause 10 of Article 31 as follows:

"10. Implement the installation of interlocking circuits, load shedding, and special load shedding as required by the National Power System Dispatching Unit to ensure safe and stable operation of the national power system."

1. Plan for new facilities to be put into operation.

6. Supplement Clause 10 of Article 32 as follows:

3. Load forecast for the power system.

7. Amend Article 36 as follows:

Article 36. Calculation of the next year's power system operation mode

The calculation of the next year's power system operation mode includes the following main contents:

1. Plan for new projects to be put into operation.

2. Basic wiring diagram of the power system.

3. Load forecast of the power system.

4. Security assessment of the power system; notification of potential power shortage and energy production capacity.

5. Maintenance and repair plan for power sources and transmission networks.

6. Testing and experimental plan during equipment operation.

7. Power generation mobilization plan for at least two hydrological scenarios.

8. Mobilization plan for generating units providing ancillary services (if any).

9. Gas supply plan for power generation.

10. Operation plan for transmission and distribution networks under control."

- Before November 15 each year, the Electricity Regulatory Authority shall be responsible for submitting to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for approval the operating mode of the national power system for the following year;

8. Amend Clause 2 and Clause 3 of Article 37 as follows:

"2. For the calculation of the next month's, week's, day's, and hour's power system operation modes, the National Power System Dispatching Unit selects appropriate calculation contents to adapt to changes in input factors to ensure power system security.

3. Power system operation mode

a) Next year's power system operation mode

- The next year's power system operation mode serves as the basis for operational management and monitoring to ensure power supply, including the following main contents: load forecast; power generation mobilization plan; transmission network operation plan; source and grid constraints and fuel supply;

- Before October 15 each year, the National Power System Dispatching Unit is responsible for completing and submitting the next year's power system operation mode to the Electricity Regulatory Authority;

- Before November 15 each year, the Electricity Regulatory Authority is responsible for submitting the approval of the next year's power system operation mode to the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

b) Next month's, week's, and special power system operation modes are established and submitted by the national dispatching level to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for approval;

c) Next day's power system operation mode is established and approved by the national dispatching level."

“2. After completing training in accordance with the prescribed content and duration, the National Dispatching Level shall be responsible for organizing inspections and issuing Operation Certificates to personnel directly involved in dispatching and operation before recognizing specific positions for operation staff at the national dispatching level.”

9. Amend Clause 4 and Clause 7 of Article 41 as follows:

"b) Organize inspections and supervision of the implementation of training and issuance of Operation Certificates for dispatching levels and Management Units in accordance with Chapter VII of this Circular and the Inspection and Issuance Procedures for Operation Certificates for Directly Involved Dispatching and System Operation Positions issued by the Electricity Regulatory Authority;"

13. Amend Clause 2 of Article 135 as follows:

“2. The units specified in Article 2 of this Circular shall be responsible for implementing and directing subordinate units to implement this Circular.”

Article 3. Amend and supplement certain contents of Circular No. 23/2017/TT-BCT dated November 16, 2017, of the Minister of Industry and Trade on the content and procedures for implementing load adjustment programs.

1. Amend Clause 5 of Article 2 as follows:

“5. National Power Dispatching Unit.”

2. Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 10 as follows:

“1. The Vietnam Electricity Corporation shall be responsible for directing Distribution Units to assess the need to implement load adjustment programs in accordance with this Circular.

2. Responsibilities of the National Power Dispatching Unit:

a) Assess the need to adjust the national power system load and regional power systems and Distribution Units for the upcoming year, month, and week. The assessment of the need to implement load adjustment programs in the national power system and regional power systems is part of the national power system operation plan for the upcoming year, month, and week established according to the Transmission System Regulations and National Power System Dispatching Procedures issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

b) Report to the Electricity Regulatory Authority the results of assessing the need to adjust the national power system load for the upcoming year, month, and week in the national power system operation plan established according to the Transmission System Regulations and National Power System Dispatching Procedures issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

c) Notify Distribution Units of the results of assessing the need to adjust the national power system load and regional power systems in the operation plan or operating mode of the national power system for the upcoming year, month, and week according to the Transmission System Regulations and National Power System Dispatching Procedures issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.”

3. Supplement Clause 5 of Article 11 as follows:

“5. The Vietnam Electricity Corporation shall be responsible for directing Distribution Units to develop plans to implement load adjustment programs in accordance with this Circular, develop comprehensive plans to implement load adjustment programs for the upcoming year, and report to the Electricity Regulatory Authority before December 15 each year.”

Article 4. Amend and supplement certain contents of Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT dated November 30, 2016, of the Minister of Industry and Trade on the transmission system (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT).

1. Amend Clause 17 of Article 3 as follows:

“17. System Operator and Market Operator is the unit commanding and controlling the power generation, transmission, and distribution processes in the national power system and managing transactions on the electricity market.”

2. Supplement Clause 7 of Article 60 as follows:

“7. In cases where there is excess power supply capacity, the dispatcher has the right to immediately control and reduce the power generation of power plants currently connected to the grid in accordance with current regulations to ensure that the system frequency remains within the prescribed range, and the system operates safely and stably.

3. Amend Clause 3 of Article 92 as follows:

“3. System security assessment includes calculations, analyses, and announcements of the expected total available power capacity, load demand forecasts for the system, evaluation of reliability and readiness to meet system load demands, system security warnings, and other requirements for system security. System security assessment includes medium-term and short-term assessments as follows:

a) Medium-term system security assessment includes:

- Assessment of system security for the next month and remaining months of the year: Conducted to evaluate the ability to ensure system security for the next month and remaining months of the year, with the calculation unit being the month;

- Assessment of system security for the next year (year N+1) considering the following year (year N+2): Conducted to evaluate the ability to ensure system security for the next year (N+1) and the following year (N+2), with the calculation unit being the month;

- Assessment of system security up to year N+5: Conducted to evaluate the ability to ensure system security for years N+3, N+4, and N+5, with the calculation unit being the year.

b) Short-term system security assessment:

- Daily system security assessment: Conducted to evaluate the ability to ensure system security for the next 14 days, with the calculation unit being the hour;

- Weekly system security assessment: Conducted to evaluate the ability to ensure system security for the remaining weeks of the current month and the weeks of the next month, with the calculation unit being the week.”

- Weekly power system security assessment: carried out to evaluate the ability to ensure the security of the national power system for the remaining weeks of the current month and the weeks of the following month, with the calculation period being a week.”

"2. Guaranteed electricity consumption (hereinafter referred to as guaranteed consumption) includes:

“2. is the highest command and dispatch level in the national power system dispatch work.” 2. Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 9 as follows:

“1. Participate in providing comments and building the Black Start and Restoration Plan for the national power system established or updated by the National Dispatching Authority.

2. Direct units under its management to implement the Black Start and Restoration Plan for the national power system established by the National Dispatching Authority and approved by the Electricity Regulatory Authority.”

3. Amend Clause 2 and Clause 3 of Article 10 as follows:

“2. Annually, establish the Black Start and Restoration Plan for the national power system with voltage levels of 220 kV and above, and update or modify it when there are significant changes in power sources and transmission networks that affect these plans. Before reporting to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for approval, seek opinions from the Vietnam Electricity Corporation and related units.

3. Establish and supplement the list of power plants providing black start services in accordance with the Black Start and Restoration Plan for the national power system; remove power plants that cannot maintain black start capability and are no longer necessary in the plan, provide information to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation, and report to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for consideration and submission to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for publication of the list of power plants providing black start services.”

Article 6. Amend and supplement some contents of Circular No. 34/2011/TT-BCT dated September 7, 2011 issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the establishment and implementation of power supply plans when the national power system lacks power (hereinafter referred to as Circular No. 34/2011/TT-BCT)

“2. National Power System Dispatching Unit.” 2. Amend Clause 6 and Clause 7 of Article 3 as follows:

"2. Company Limited Tan Cang - Petro Cam Ranh (hereinafter referred to as Tan Cang - Petro Cam Ranh Company) is an enterprise directly serving national defense and security, with 100% capital contribution from state-owned enterprises holding 100% of the Charter Capital."

Short-term system security assessment

is defined in the Transmission System Regulation issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

“6. Medium-term system security assessment is defined in the Transmission System Regulation issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.”

7. 3. Amend Point a of Clause 2 of Article 9 as follows: “a) Implement electricity reduction for customers using electricity except for important electricity users approved by the People's Committee of the province;”

“Article 10. The plan for allocating power generation volume of the national power system for the next year

1. Based on the approved operation plan of the national power system for the next year, if the national power system has a risk of power shortage, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for calculating the plan for allocating power generation volume of the national power system for the next year by month for each power corporation according to the method prescribed in Article 5 of this Circular and send it to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation, while reporting to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

2. The plan for allocating power generation volume of the national power system for the next year includes the following contents:

a) Expected time for applying power generation allocation;

b) Power generation demand at the source of each power corporation during months when the national power system lacks power;

c) Available power capacity of the national power system each month during the period of power shortage;

d) Power generation volume allocated monthly to each power corporation corresponding to the available power capacity of the system each month.”

5. Amend Clause 1 of Article 11 as follows:

“1. Based on the plan for allocating power generation volume of the national power system for the next year calculated by the National Power System Dispatching Unit, the North, Central, and South Power Corporations shall be responsible for calculating and allocating power generation volume by month to provincial power corporations under their jurisdiction according to the method prescribed in Article 6 of this Circular, while reporting to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation and the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.”

“1. Based on the approved operation mode of the national power system for the next month, if the national power system will lack power in the next month, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall allocate power generation volume of the national power system for the next month by week to each power corporation and send it to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation, while reporting to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

If the national power system or regional power system will lack capacity in the next month, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for determining the available capacity of the system and the maximum capacity at the source allocated to each power corporation by week according to the method prescribed in Article 7 of this Circular.”

“Article 13. Local power supply plan for the next month

1. If the national power system will lack power in the next month, based on the plan for allocating power generation volume of the national power system for the next month, the North, Central, and South Power Corporations must allocate power generation volume weekly in the next month to provincial power corporations under their jurisdiction according to the method prescribed in Article 6 of this Circular, publish it on the unit’s website, and report to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation and the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

7. Amend Article 13 as follows:

2. If the national power system will lack power in the next month, based on the local power supply plan for the next month approved according to Article 11 of this Circular and the power generation volume allocated by the regional power corporation in the next month, provincial power corporations shall be responsible for establishing the local power supply plan for the next month to be submitted to the People's Committee of the province for approval.”

1. In the case where the national power system will be short of electricity in the upcoming month, based on the allocation plan of the national power system's production volume for the upcoming month, the Northern, Central, and Southern Power Corporations must allocate the weekly production volume for the upcoming month to the provincial power companies under their jurisdiction according to the method specified in Article 6 of this Circular, publish it on their website, and simultaneously report to the Vietnam Electricity Corporation and the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

2. In the case where the national power system will be short of electricity in the upcoming month, based on the approved local power supply plan for the year as stipulated in Article 11 of this Circular and the production volume allocated by the regional power corporation for the upcoming month, the provincial power companies shall be responsible for formulating the local power supply plan for the upcoming month to submit to the Provincial People's Committee for approval.

3. In case the national power system lacks electricity in the upcoming month, based on the approved local power supply plan for the current year as stipulated in Article 11 of this Circular and the approved national power system's production volume allocation plan for the upcoming month, Hanoi Electricity Corporation and Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation shall be responsible for establishing the local power supply plan for the upcoming month to submit for approval by the People's Committee of the city.

4. The local power supply plan for the upcoming month shall be established according to the principles set forth in Article 9 of this Circular and must include the following contents:

a) List of important electricity customers;

b) Production volume allocated to various electricity load components and large electricity distribution customers and distribution and retail units;

c) Methods of adjusting and conserving electricity for various electricity load components and large electricity users.

5. The Department of Industry and Trade shall be responsible for advising the provincial People's Committee to approve and announce the local power supply plan for the upcoming month.

8. Amend Article 14 as follows:

"Article 14. Establishing and Implementing Local Weekly Power Supply Plans

1. In case the national power system lacks electricity, before 11:00 on Friday of week W, based on the approved national power system operation plan for week W, the Regional Electricity Corporation shall be responsible for completing the production volume allocation plan for provincial electricity companies under its jurisdiction for week W+2 and updating and adjusting the production volume allocation plan for week W+1 if necessary, while reporting to Vietnam Electricity Group and the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

2. In case the national power system lacks electricity, before 16:00 on Friday of week W, based on the production volume allocation plan of the Regional Electricity Corporation, the provincial electricity company shall be responsible for completing the power supply plan for week W+2 and updating and adjusting the power supply plan for week W+1 if necessary, and reporting to the Department of Industry and Trade at the local level for monitoring and supervision.

3. Before 16:00 on Friday of week W, based on the approved national power system operation plan for week W, Hanoi Electricity Corporation and Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation shall be responsible for completing the power supply plan for week W+2 and updating and adjusting the power supply plan for week W+1 if necessary, and reporting to the Department of Industry and Trade at the local level for monitoring and supervision.

4. The local weekly power supply plan shall be established according to the principles set forth in Article 9 of this Circular and based on the approved local monthly power supply plan already approved by the provincial People's Committee, taking into account changes in local electricity load demand in previous weeks.

5. The local weekly power supply plan includes the following contents:

a) Production volume allocated for weeks W+1 and W+2;

b) Daily power supply plan within the province/city including:

- Production volume allocated to various load components;

- List of large electricity customers subject to power reduction;

- Daily power reduction volume for various load components, large electricity distribution customers, and distribution and retail units;

- Areas subject to power reduction;

- Expected time of power reduction.

9. Amend Article 15 as follows:

"Article 15. National Power System Capacity Allocation Plan

1. In case the national power system has a risk of capacity shortage based on short-term system security assessment results, the National Power System Dispatch Unit shall be responsible for:

a) Determining the available capacity of the national power system each day for the next two weeks, daily capacity shortfall levels, and the duration of capacity shortages;

b) Calculating the capacity allocation plan for regional electricity corporations according to the method specified in Article 7 of this Circular, notifying Vietnam Electricity Group, regional electricity corporations, and reporting to the Electricity Regulatory Authority, while publishing on the national power system information website the status of capacity shortages and the capacity allocation plan for regional electricity corporations.

2. The capacity allocation plan for regional electricity corporations includes the following contents:

a) Duration of national power system capacity shortage;

b) Available capacity of the national power system each day of the week;

c) Capacity allocated to regional electricity corporations;

d) Estimated daily capacity reduction volume across the entire system.

10. Amend Article 16 as follows:

"Article 16. Establishing and Implementing Local Capacity Reduction Plans

1. In case the national power system lacks capacity, before 9:00 on Friday of week W, based on the capacity allocation plan announced by the National Power System Dispatch Unit, Northern, Central, and Southern Regional Electricity Corporations shall be responsible for completing the capacity allocation for week W+2 and updating and adjusting the capacity allocation level for week W+1 for provincial electricity companies under their jurisdiction according to the method specified in Article 8 of this Circular.

2. Before 16:00 on Friday of week W, Hanoi Electricity Corporation, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, and provincial electricity companies shall be responsible for completing the local capacity reduction plan for week W+2 and updating and adjusting the capacity reduction plan for week W+1 according to the principles set forth in Article 9 of this Circular, and reporting to the Department of Industry and Trade at the local level for monitoring and supervision as prescribed.

3. In case the actual operational capacity of regional electricity corporations and large provincial electricity companies exceeds the planned capacity allocation, the National Power System Dispatch Unit and regional power system dispatch units are permitted to implement emergency load shedding measures to ensure power system security.

11. Amend Article 17 as follows:

"Article 17. Capacity Allocation and Power Reduction When Local Capacity Shortages Occur

1. In case there is a risk of congestion on the transmission grid leading to local power shortages or failing to meet system operation standards, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for:

a) Identifying areas with local power shortages and areas at risk of not meeting system operation standards, as well as the time period during which such local power shortages occur;

b) Determining the maximum power capacity that can be supplied to areas with local power shortages and estimating the amount of power shortfall;

c) Calculating the plan for allocating power capacity in areas with local power shortages for affected electricity corporations, while simultaneously sending this plan to Vietnam Electricity Corporation and reporting to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for monitoring and supervision.

3. Before 9:00 AM on Friday of week W, electricity corporations in areas with local power shortages shall be responsible for completing the implementation of power allocation for week W+2 and updating, adjusting the power allocation level for week W+1 for affected provincial electricity companies based on the approved power allocation plan in areas with local power shortages, and simultaneously reporting to Vietnam Electricity Corporation for monitoring and supervision.

4. Before 4:00 PM on Friday of week W, Hanoi Electricity Corporation, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, and provincial electricity companies in areas with local power shortages shall be responsible for completing the local power reduction plan for week W+2 and updating, adjusting the power reduction plan for week W+1 according to the principles stipulated in Article 9 of this Circular, and reporting to the Department of Industry and Trade at their location for monitoring and supervision.

5. During the dispatch and operation of the power system, the National Power System Dispatching Unit and regional power system dispatching units are permitted to implement emergency load shedding measures to ensure power system security in the following cases:

a) In emergency situations where transmission grid congestion occurs, leading to a risk of local power shortages or failing to meet system operation standards;

b) The actual hourly power operation capacity of electricity corporations and large provincial electricity companies exceeds the planned allocated power capacity.

Article 7. Amendment Clause 6 of Article 1 of Circular No. 39/2022/TT-BCT amending and supplementing certain provisions of Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT dated November 30, 2016 issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade regarding the transmission power system, Circular No. 39/2015/TT-BCT dated November 18, 2015 issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade regarding the distribution power system, and Circular No. 30/2019/TT-BCT dated November 18, 2019 amending and supplementing certain provisions of Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT dated November 30, 2016 issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade regarding the transmission power system and Circular No. 39/2015/TT-BCT dated November 18, 2015 issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade regarding the distribution power system as follows::

"6. Amend Clause 18 of Article 1 as follows:"

"18. Amend Article 74 as follows:"

"Article 74. Determination of Ancillary Service Requirements

1. General principles for determining ancillary service requirements include:

a) Ensuring the maintenance of reserve power levels and capacity of the power system to meet system operation and power system security standards;

b) Ensuring minimum costs consistent with national power system conditions and constraints.

2. Power system operating units and electricity market units shall be responsible for determining and presenting ancillary service requirements for the national power system according to the Ancillary Service Requirement Determination and Operation Procedures issued by the Electricity Regulatory Authority."

1. Amending and supplementing Clause 9 of Article 1 as follows:

"9. Amending and supplementing Article 14 as follows:"

"Article 14. Implementation organizations"

1. The Electricity Regulatory Authority shall be responsible for:

a) Review and submit to the Minister of Industry and Trade for approval the prices of ancillary services provided by power plants offering rapid start-up services, ancillary services that must be continuously supplied to ensure grid security, voltage regulation services, and black-start services;

b) Inspect contracts for providing ancillary services;

c) Guide and inspect the implementation of this Circular and resolve disputes arising therefrom.

a) Compiling the list of power plants providing ancillary services according to the transmission system regulations and the national black start and system recovery regulations issued by the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

a) Agree and unify the prices of ancillary services provided by power plants offering ancillary services with Ancillary Service Providers, and submit the agreed ancillary service prices to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for review;

b) Negotiate and sign contracts for providing ancillary services with Ancillary Service Providers, and submit the contracts for providing ancillary services to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for inspection.

3. The system operator and electricity market have the responsibility:

a) Compile a list of power plants providing ancillary services;

b) Agree and approve maintenance schedules for power plants providing ancillary services based on actual repair times for similar components at the plant and equipment manufacturer standards.

4. Ancillary Service Providers offering rapid start-up services, ancillary services that must be continuously supplied to ensure grid security, frequency regulation services, voltage regulation services, and black-start services have the responsibility:

a) Negotiate and sign contracts for providing ancillary services;

b) Provide complete information; ensure the accuracy, reasonableness, and validity of data and documents provided to relevant units and agencies during negotiations and inspections of contracts for providing ancillary services."

2. Amending Clause 11 of Article 1 as follows:

"11. Amending Clause 2 of Article 2 of the Model Contract for Providing Ancillary Services issued together with Circular No. 21/2015/TT-BCT as follows:"

"2. Term of the Contract

Unless the Contract is extended or terminated before the term specified in Article 9 of this Contract, the Contract shall have a term agreed upon by both parties in accordance with the provisions of the law."

1. Abolishing Clause 5 of Article 17, Clause 2, and Clause 3 of Article 132, and Clause 3 of Article 133 of Circular No. 45/2018/TT-BCT.

2. Abolishing Clause 3 of Article 9 of Circular No. 22/2017/TT-BCT.

3. Replacing the phrase “National Load Dispatch Center” in the section “Place of Receipt” of Circular No. 24/2019/TT-BCT with the phrase: “System Operation Unit”.

4. Replacing the phrase “Vietnam Electricity Corporation” in Article 20 of Circular No. 34/2011/TT-BCT with the phrase “System Operation Unit”.

5. Replacing the phrase “National Load Dispatch Center” in Clause 2 of Article 2 and the section “Place of Receipt” of Circular No. 34/2011/TT-BCT with the phrase “System Operation Unit”.

6. Abolishing Articles 93, 94, and 95 of Circular No. 25/2016/TT-BCT.

Article 10. Provisions on implementation

1. This Circular takes effect from August 1, 2024.

2. Certificates of operation and decisions recognizing positions involved in dispatch and operation of the power system and electricity market issued according to Circulars No. 40/2014/TT-BCT and No. 45/2018/TT-BCT prior to the effectiveness of this Circular will continue to be valid until their expiration date.

3. Within six months from the date of issuance of this Circular, the System Operator and Electricity Market must, based on the provisions of Article 1 of this Circular, review and adjust the procedures stipulated in Clause 1 of Article 132 of Circular No. 45/2018/TT-BCT and submit them to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for consideration and promulgation.

4. During the implementation process, if any difficulties arise, organizations and individuals responsible must report to the Electricity Regulatory Authority for examination and resolution within their authority or report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for resolution.