Circular No. 46/2025/TT-BCT amending and supplementing certain Articles of Circular No. 04/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025 of the Minister of Industry and Trade on the procedures for stopping and reducing electricity supply levels, Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025 of the Minister of Industry and Trade on the transmission, distribution systems, and electricity metering, and Circular No. 06/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025 of the Minister of Industry and Trade on dispatching, operation, manipulation, fault handling, black start, and national power system recovery.

CIRCULAR

Amending and supplementing certain Articles of Circular No. 04/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the procedures for stopping and reducing electricity supply levels, Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the power transmission system, distribution system, and electricity metering, and Circular No. 06/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on dispatching, operation, manipulation, fault handling, black start, and national power system recovery.

Pursuant to the Electricity Law No. 61/2024/QH15;

Pursuant to Decree No. 40/2025/NĐ-CP dated February 26, 2025, of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

At the proposal of the Director of the Electricity Administration;

The Minister of Industry and Trade issues this Circular amending and supplementing certain Articles of Circular No. 04/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the procedures for stopping and reducing electricity supply levels, Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the power transmission system, distribution system, and electricity metering, and Circular No. 06/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on dispatching, operation, manipulation, fault handling, black start, and national power system recovery.

Article 1. Amending and supplementing certain Articles of Circular No. 04/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the procedures for stopping and reducing electricity supply levels.

1. Amending Clause 6 of Article 3 as follows:

"6. Distribution electricity unit is the electricity enterprise licensed to operate in the distribution sector, including:

a) State-owned Electricity Corporation under the Vietnam Electricity Group;

b) Provincial Electricity Corporation under the State-owned Electricity Corporation."

2. Supplementing Clause 13 of Article 3 as follows:

"13. Provincial People's Committee is the People's Committee of provinces and centrally governed cities."

3. Supplementing Clause 6 of Article 8 as follows:

"6. The seller and buyer of electricity shall negotiate the direct costs incurred by the seller for one stoppage and resumption of power supply in cases stipulated in Clauses 2 and 3 of Article 5 of this Circular. Any organization or individual requesting the seller to stop power supply shall be responsible for paying these costs to the seller."

4. Amending Point a and Point b of Clause 4 of Article 10 as follows:

"a) Paying the full electricity bill to the seller for the case of power supply stoppage as prescribed in Clause 1 of Article 7 of this Circular and the agreed costs for one stoppage and resumption of power supply;

b) The buyer of electricity has fully implemented the administrative penalty decision of the competent state agency, ceased the violation, and remedied the consequences caused by the violation for the case of power supply stoppage as prescribed in Clause 2 of Article 7 of this Circular, and paid the agreed costs for one stoppage and resumption of power supply to the seller;"

5. Amending Clause 1 of Article 11 as follows:

"1. Before the 15th day of each month, the State-owned Electricity Corporation of Hanoi City, the State-owned Electricity Corporation of Ho Chi Minh City, the Provincial Electricity Corporation, and other Distribution Units and Retail Electricity Units licensed to operate with a total installed capacity of transformer stations of 3 MVA or more shall be responsible for compiling and reporting in writing through postal service or email to the Provincial People's Committee the results of stopping and reducing electricity supply levels in the previous month within their management scope. The report includes:

a) Monthly summary report on stopping and reducing electricity supply levels according to the form prescribed in Appendix II attached to this Circular;

b) Detailed monthly report on stopping and reducing electricity supply levels according to the form prescribed in Appendix III attached to this Circular."

6. Amending Point b of Clause 2 of Article 12 as follows:

"b) The State-owned Electricity Corporation of Hanoi City, the State-owned Electricity Corporation of Ho Chi Minh City, and the Provincial Electricity Corporation shall immediately notify the Provincial People's Committee via email or fax upon occurrence of an incident and submit a written report within 36 hours from the time of the incident."

7. Amending Clause 3 of Article 12 as follows:

"3. The seller of electricity shall report on the implementation of stopping and reducing electricity supply levels in writing through postal service or email when requested by the Ministry of Industry and Trade or the Provincial People's Committee."

8. Amending Article 13 as follows:

“Article 13. Reporting System of Provincial Power Companies in Cases of Electricity Supply Reduction or Curtailment Due to Insufficient Power Sources

1. Weekly Report

a) By 11:00 on Friday of week W, the provincial power company shall report to the Southern Power Corporation, the People's Committee of the province on the electricity supply situation in the locality from Friday of week W-1 to Thursday of week W.

b) The weekly report of the provincial power company shall be carried out according to the Weekly Report Form on Electricity Supply and Conservation prescribed in Appendix IV issued together with this Circular.

2. Monthly Report

Before the 5th day of each month, the provincial power company shall report to the Southern Power Corporation, the People's Committee of the province on the electricity supply and conservation situation in the locality of the previous month according to the Monthly Report Form on Electricity Supply and Conservation prescribed in Appendix IV issued together with this Circular and shall include the following contents:

a) The electricity generation volume, maximum capacity allocation and implementation of the provincial power company in the month;

b) Estimated electricity generation volume and load reduction capacity in the month;

c) Implementation of electricity generation volume allocation and conservation capacity for large electricity consumers and other customers in the province;

d) Analysis and clarification of reasons in cases where actual electricity supply differs from the approved monthly supply plan by the People's Committee of the province."

9. Amend Point a Clause 1 Article 14 as follows:

"a) The Hanoi Power Corporation shall report to the Hanoi People's Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation shall report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the electricity supply situation in their respective localities in accordance with Clause 1 Article 13 of this Circular;"

10. Amend Point a Clause 2 Article 14 as follows:

"a) The Hanoi Power Corporation shall report to the Hanoi People's Committee, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation shall report to the Ho Chi Minh City People's Committee on the electricity supply situation in their respective localities in accordance with Clause 2 Article 13 of this Circular;"

11. Amend Point b Clause 1 Article 16 as follows:

"b) Supervise the electricity conservation work of provincial power companies, ensuring that electricity conservation complies with the principles stipulated in Article 6 of Appendix I issued together with this Circular."

12. Amend Point b Clause 2 Article 16 as follows:

"b) Supervise the electricity supply work of the Hanoi Power Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, and provincial power companies, ensuring that electricity conservation complies with the principles stipulated in Article 6 of Appendix I issued together with this Circular."

13. Amend Clause 3 Article 16 as follows:

"3. The People's Committee of the province shall be responsible for:

a) Annually, based on the political, social, security, and defense importance, the People's Committee of the province shall take the lead and coordinate with the Hanoi Power Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, and the provincial power company to approve the list of priority electricity customers when the power supplier implements power supply reduction or curtailment in the power system;

b) Supervise the implementation of power supply reduction or curtailment by the Hanoi Power Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, the provincial power company, distribution units, and retail electricity units in the locality in accordance with this Circular;

c) Supervise the electricity supply of power units in the locality according to the allocated electricity generation volume and capacity when the national power system lacks power sources;

d) Supervise the electricity supply work in the locality according to the approved plan and electricity conservation principles stipulated in Article 6 of Appendix I issued together with this Circular when the national power system lacks power sources;

e) Supervise the electricity usage of customers with agreed load profiles with the provincial power company in the locality when the national power system lacks power sources."

14. Supplement Clause 3 Article 17 as follows:

"3. The dispatching authority has the responsibility to cooperate with the power supplier to implement power supply reduction, curtailment, and resumption in accordance with this Circular."

15. Amend Clause 1 Article 18 as follows:

"1. This Circular shall take effect from February 1, 2025. Circular No. 34/2011/TT-BCT dated September 7, 2011 of the Minister of Industry and Trade on the establishment and implementation of electricity supply plans when the national power system lacks power sources, Circular No. 22/2020/TT-BCT dated September 9, 2020 of the Minister of Industry and Trade on conditions and procedures for power supply reduction or curtailment, and Circular No. 23/2020/TT-BCT dated September 9, 2020 on methods for determining and levels of costs for power supply reduction and resumption shall cease to be effective from the date this Circular takes effect."

16. Amend Clause 5 Article 8 of Appendix I issued together with the Circular as follows:

"5. The People's Committee of the province shall be responsible for approving and announcing the electricity supply plan in the locality for the next year before December 15 of each year."

17. Amend Clause 5 Article 10 of Appendix I issued together with the Circular as follows:

"5. The People's Committee of the province shall be responsible for approving and announcing the electricity supply plan in the locality for the next month."

18. Amend Clause 2 and Clause 3 Article 11 of Appendix I issued together with the Circular as follows:

"2. In case the national power system lacks electricity, before 16:00 on Friday of week W, based on the electricity generation volume allocation plan of the Southern Power Corporation, the provincial power company shall complete the electricity supply plan for week W+2 and update and adjust the electricity supply plan for week W+1 if necessary, report to the People's Committee of the province for monitoring and supervising the implementation."

3. Before 16:00 on Friday of week W, based on the approved national power system operation method, the Hanoi Electricity Corporation and the Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation shall complete the power supply plan for week W+2 and update or adjust the power supply plan for week W+1 if necessary, and report to the People's Committee of Hanoi City and the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City for monitoring and supervision of implementation.

19. Amend Clause 2 of Article 13 of Appendix I issued together with this Circular as follows:

“2. Before 16:00 on Friday of week W, the Hanoi Electricity Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, and provincial electricity companies shall complete the local power reduction plan for week W+2 and update or adjust the power reduction plan for week W+1 according to the principles stipulated in Article 6 of this Appendix and report to the Provincial People's Committee for monitoring and supervision of implementation.”

20. Amend Clause 4 of Article 14 of Appendix I issued together with this Circular as follows:

“4. Before 16:00 on Friday of week W, the Hanoi Electricity Corporation, the Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, and provincial electricity companies in areas with localized power shortages shall complete the local power reduction plan for week W+2 and update or adjust the power reduction plan for week W+1 according to the principles stipulated in Article 6 of this Appendix and report to the Provincial People's Committee for monitoring and supervision of implementation.”

Article 2. Amend and supplement some articles of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade regarding the transmission and distribution systems and electric energy metering

1. Amend Clause 9 of Article 26 as follows:

“9. The National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for organizing the development and issuance of guidelines on the scope, layout, and technical requirements for relay protection devices for generating units, transformers, busbars, reactive power compensation equipment, and transmission lines connected to the grid, seek opinions from transmission companies and related units, and report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade before implementation.”

2. Add Clause 8 to Article 27 as follows:

“8. The Vietnam Electricity Group shall be responsible for organizing the development and issuance of guidelines on the scope, layout, and technical requirements for relay protection devices for generating units, transformers, busbars, reactive power compensation equipment, and distribution lines connected to the grid, seek opinions from distribution dispatching units and related units, and report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade before implementation.”

3. Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 30 as follows:

“1. Substations with voltage levels of 110 kV or higher, power plants with installed capacity of 10 MW or higher (regardless of connection voltage level), and power plants connected to the transmission grid but not yet connected to the Control Center must be equipped with Gateway or RTU and establish two independent physical connections with the SCADA system of the Control Authority.

2. Substations with voltage levels of 110 kV or higher, power plants with installed capacity of 10 MW or higher (regardless of connection voltage level), and power plants connected to the transmission grid and already connected to the Control Center must be equipped with Gateway or RTU established with one connection to the SCADA system of the Control Authority and two connections to the control system at the Control Center. Substations of 110 kV remotely controlled and operated from the Control Center must be equipped with Gateway or RTU established with two connections to the control system at the Control Center, and information will be shared from the Control Center to the Control Authority.”

4. Amend Clause 8 of Article 41 as follows:

“8. Wind power plants and solar power plants with total capacity from 10 MW to 30 MW and connected to the grid at voltage levels of 110 kV or higher must invest in equipment and systems to ensure stable, reliable, and secure connection with the Automatic Generation Control (AGC) system of the Control Authority to serve remote control of plant capacity according to the dispatch orders of the Control Authority.”

5. Amend Clause 8 of Article 42 as follows:

“8. Investors of solar and wind power projects with capacity from 100 kW to 1 MW who choose to sell excess power to the national grid shall be responsible for negotiating and agreeing with the Distribution Company on the equipment and means of connection to the collection, monitoring, and control system of the Distribution Control Authority. In cases where excess power is not sold to the national grid, investors of solar and wind power projects with capacity from 100 kW to 1 MW shall be responsible for negotiating and agreeing with the Distribution Company on the equipment and means of connection to the collection and monitoring system of the Distribution Control Authority.”

6. Add Clause 9 to Article 43 as follows:

“9. Investors of solar power systems with capacity of 100 kW or higher who choose to sell excess power to the national grid shall be responsible for negotiating and agreeing with the Distribution Company on the equipment and means of connection to the collection, monitoring, and control system of the Distribution Control Authority. In cases where excess power is not sold to the national grid, investors of solar power systems with capacity of 100 kW or higher shall be responsible for negotiating and agreeing with the Distribution Company on the equipment and means of connection to the collection and monitoring system of the Distribution Control Authority.”

7. Amend Clause 14 of Article 44 as follows:

“14. Energy storage systems connected to the national grid at voltage levels of 110 kV or higher and with capacity of 10 MW or higher must invest in equipment and systems to ensure stable, reliable, and secure connection with the generating unit power control system (AGC) of the National Power System Dispatching Unit to serve remote control of generation capacity according to the dispatch orders of the National Power System Dispatching Unit.”

8. Amend Point a of Clause 1 of Article 51 as follows:

“a) Documents confirming that the project meets all legal and technical procedures:

- Confirmation document from the investor affirming that the equipment within the energization range has been tested and inspected to meet operational requirements and technical requirements at the point of interconnection and comply with all legal regulations;

- Notification document regarding the official approval for energization issued by the transmission company;

- Acceptance record of the installation of the electricity metering system sufficient to serve the energization trial operation and acceptance, having settled the meter readings for electricity supply and receipt;

- Power purchase agreement signed or agreement on power sale and delivery except for power plants directly under the Vietnam Electricity Corporation during the period before participating in the competitive electricity market.

9. Amend Point d Clause 1 Article 52 as follows:

“d) AGC connection testing.”

10. Amend Point d Clause 2 Article 52 as follows:

“d) AGC connection testing.”

11. Amend Clause 3 Article 52 as follows:

“3. In addition to the tests prescribed in Clause 1 and Clause 2 of this Article, customers wishing to connect must be responsible for conducting SCADA, FRS/PQ/PMU connection tests prior to the energization date in accordance with the scope specified in Article 51 and other necessary tests to meet the agreed technical requirements in the Connection Agreement and Power Purchase Agreement.”

12. Amend Clause 10 Article 52 as follows:

“10. Customers wishing to connect to the grid, power plants, and electrical equipment beyond the point of interconnection may only be officially put into operation after having complete test records, trial run records, and acceptance records meeting all requirements stipulated in this Circular. In cases where project components or projects have been accepted by competent state authorities, there must be a document approving the completion of project component acceptance results. Customers wishing to connect must notify the Transmission Company and the Control Authority with authority over the timing of official operation commencement. For tests that could not be carried out due to primary energy sources not being available as specified in Points a, b, c, d, and Point đ Clause 2 of this Article, customers wishing to connect must complete them within a maximum time limit of one year from the first grid connection date.”

13. Amend Clause 8 Article 53 as follows:

“8. For power plants connected to the transmission grid, the power generation unit is responsible for re-inspecting and re-testing the excitation systems and turbine speed control systems when replacing or upgrading these systems. After completing the tests, a written notification must be provided to relevant parties about the test results, evaluations, and necessary recommendations. The Control Authority with authority over operations and dispatching is responsible for checking and sending a written confirmation of whether the test results meet or do not meet the operational and dispatching requirements as stipulated. In cases where certain components do not meet the requirements, the Control Authority with authority over operations and dispatching must notify in writing the non-compliant components for partners to make adjustments, calibrations, and re-tests.”

14. Amend Point a Clause 1 Article 59 as follows:

“a) Legal and technical documents:

- Confirmation and commitment document from the customer wishing to connect affirming that the equipment within the energization range has been tested and inspected to meet operational requirements and technical requirements at the point of interconnection and comply with all legal regulations;

- Notification document regarding the official approval for energization issued by the distribution company;

- Acceptance record of the installation of the electricity metering system sufficient to serve the energization trial operation and acceptance, having settled the meter readings for electricity supply and receipt;

- Power purchase agreement signed or agreement on power sale and delivery except for power plants directly under the Vietnam Electricity Corporation during the period before participating in the competitive electricity market.

15. Amend Point d Clause 1 Article 60 as follows:

“d) Customers wishing to connect to the grid, power plants, and electrical equipment beyond the point of interconnection may only be officially put into operation after having complete test records, trial run records, and acceptance records meeting all requirements stipulated in this Circular. In cases where project components or projects have been accepted by competent state authorities, there must be a document approving the completion of project component acceptance results. Customers wishing to connect must notify the Distribution Company and the Control Authority with authority over the timing of official operation commencement.”

16. Add Clause 3 and Clause 4 Article 60 as follows:

“3. Power plants connecting to medium voltage distribution grids and above must conduct minimum tests as prescribed in Article 52 of this Circular, excluding tests for systems not required by this Circular and not equipped by the plant. In cases where tests could not be carried out due to primary energy sources not being available, customers wishing to connect must complete them within a maximum time limit of one year from the first grid connection date. For systems present in the power plant but not required to be installed according to this Circular, the power plant must agree with the Control Authority with authority over operations to conduct the tests.

4. The National Grid Dispatching Unit is responsible for organizing the development and issuance of detailed technical requirements for testing and supervising tests, soliciting opinions from distribution dispatching units and related units, and reporting to the Ministry of Industry and Trade before implementation.”

17. Add Clause 7 Article 61 as follows:

“7. For power plants with total installed capacity exceeding 30 MW connecting to the distribution grid, the power generation unit is responsible for re-inspecting and re-testing the excitation systems and turbine speed control systems when replacing or upgrading these systems. After completing the tests, a written notification must be provided to relevant parties about the test results, evaluations, and necessary recommendations. The Control Authority with authority over operations and dispatching is responsible for checking and sending a written confirmation of whether the test results meet or do not meet the operational and dispatching requirements as stipulated. In cases where certain components do not meet the requirements, the Control Authority with authority over operations and dispatching must notify in writing the non-compliant components for partners to make adjustments, calibrations, and re-tests.”

18. Amend Clause 1 Article 78 as follows:

"1. The National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for calculating and determining the operational stability limits of the power system. Transmission Units, Distribution Units, and Grid Users must provide information as required by the National Power System Dispatching Unit to serve the research and evaluation of system stability."

19. Amend Point b and Point c of Clause 1, Article 100 as follows:

“b) A copy or a signed digital version of the Certificate of Calibration for CT, VT, and metering devices of the Testing and Calibration Unit, in cases where they are used with Type 1 inspection marks;

c) A copy of the Test Report (including error results) for CT, VT, and metering devices of the Testing and Calibration Unit;"

20. Amend Clause 1 of Article 119 as follows:

“1. Technical Documents

a) A copy of the Certificate of Calibration for CT, VT, and metering devices of the Testing and Calibration Unit;

b) A copy of the Decision approving the sample for metering devices, CT, VT (if applicable);

c) A copy of the Test Report for CT, VT, and metering devices of the Testing and Calibration Unit;

d) The Test Report on the second-order total circuit of the Metering System of the Testing and Calibration Unit;

đ) The Setting Parameters Report for metering devices.”

21. Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 120 as follows:

“1. After completing the installation of the Metering System and Data Collection System, at least 14 days before the planned acceptance date, the Metering System Investment Unit shall be responsible for sending a request letter to proceed with acceptance along with one set of documents for acceptance to the Electricity Trading Company or the Distribution Unit and related Power Supply Units. The documents include items specified in Point a, b, c of Clause 1 and Clauses 2, 3 of Article 119 of this Circular. For items specified in Point d, đ of Clause 1 of Article 119 of this Circular, the Metering System Investment Unit shall be responsible for sending them to the acceptance participants before the completion of the acceptance work.

2. Within three working days from the date of receipt of the request letter to proceed with acceptance and the acceptance documents as stipulated in Clause 1 of this Article, the Electricity Trading Company or the Distribution Unit shall be responsible for checking the completeness and validity of the documents and performing the following tasks:

a) In case the documents comply with the regulations and meet the conditions for acceptance, the Electricity Trading Company or the Distribution Unit shall be responsible for sending a letter to the acceptance participants to unify the acceptance plan;

b) In case the documents do not meet the acceptance conditions, the Electricity Trading Company or the Distribution Unit shall be responsible for sending a letter requesting the Metering System Investment Unit to supplement the documents and notify the acceptance participants.”

22. Amend Point b of Clause 3 of Article 131 as follows:

“b) After identifying the cause and proposing measures to address the fault, the Metering System Operation Management Unit shall be responsible for coordinating with the Metering System Ownership Unit to repair the Metering System fault, specifically as follows:

- In case the metering equipment is damaged, the Metering System Ownership Unit shall take the lead, coordinate with the Metering System Operation Management Unit to replace or repair the equipment within the shortest time possible to ensure that the metering equipment meets the requirements specified in this Circular and resumes normal operation. The replacement or repair must be carried out according to the provisions of Article 127 of this Circular;

- In case the fault cannot be immediately resolved, the Metering System Operation Management Unit shall take the lead, coordinate with related Power Supply Units to determine a temporary metering solution (if necessary).”

23. Amend Article 139 as follows:

“Article 139. Requirements for Testing Low Voltage Metering Equipment

In addition to the provisions on testing metering equipment as stipulated in Article 133 of this Circular, testing of low voltage metering equipment must meet the following requirements:

1. Annually, the Distribution Unit or Retail Unit shall develop a plan for regular testing of metering equipment currently in use to supply electricity to customers within their management scope.

2. The Distribution Unit or Retail Unit shall bear all costs for initial testing, regular testing, and post-repair testing of metering equipment to ensure that the metering equipment operates normally and meets technical requirements as prescribed by laws on measurement and the provisions of this Circular.

24. Amend Clause 3 of Article 141 as follows:

“3. The location of energy metering and the metering system shall be determined according to the provisions of Chapter V of this Circular.”

25. Amend Clause 3 of Article 158 as follows:

“3. Conduct tests to evaluate the operation process of the equipment system as prescribed in Article 79 of this Circular.”

26. Amend Clause 3 of Article 163 as follows:

“3. The National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for developing and publishing forms for providing forecast information, methods for evaluating forecast results of power generation capacity and energy from renewable sources, templates for reports assessing forecast errors, accuracy for each forecast period of power generation capacity and energy from renewable power plants; annually publish requirements for accuracy for each forecast period of power generation capacity from renewable power plants.”

27. Amend the name of Appendix 1A issued together with this Circular as follows:

“INFORMATION FOR CONNECTION APPLICATION FOR CUSTOMERS WITH CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS TO THE TRANSMISSION NETWORK (CONNECTING TO THE TRANSMISSION NETWORK)”.

28. Amend the name of Appendix 1B issued together with this Circular as follows:

“INFORMATION ABOUT CUSTOMER POWER PLANTS AND GENERATING UNITS WITH CONNECTION REQUIREMENTS (CONNECTING TO THE TRANSMISSION NETWORK)”.

29. Amend the name of Appendix 1C issued together with this Circular as follows:

“INFORMATION ON ELECTRICITY CONSUMPTION REQUIREMENTS OF DISTRIBUTION UNITS, RETAIL UNITS, AND CUSTOMERS (CONNECTING TO THE TRANSMISSION NETWORK)”.

30. Amend and supplement some contents of Appendix 2 issued together with this Circular as follows:

a) Amend the name as follows:

“CONNECTION AGREEMENT TEMPLATE

(Issued together with Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade)”;

b) Amend paragraph one of the basis for signing the Connection Agreement as follows:

“On the basis of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering;”

c) Amend Article 4 as follows:

“Article 4. Additional Inspection and Testing Costs

Additional inspection and testing costs in cases prescribed in Clause 2 of Article 53 of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering shall be agreed upon by both parties as follows:

1. ……

2. ……”.

31. Amend and supplement some contents of Appendix 5 issued together with this Circular as follows:

a) Amend paragraph one of the basis for signing the Connection Agreement as follows:

“On the basis of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering;”

b) Amend Clause 2 of Article 1 as follows:

“2. Energy Metering

.........................................................................................................................

(Comply with the Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade)"

c) Amend Point b of Clause 2 of Article 2 as follows:

"b) [Name of the customer requesting connection] undertakes to manage and operate its power system/power plant in compliance with Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering."

d) Amend Article 4 as follows:

“Article 4. Additional Inspection and Testing Costs

Additional inspection and testing costs in cases prescribed in Clause 3 of Article 61 of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering shall be agreed upon by both parties as follows:

1………..

2………..”;

e) Amend Clause 1 and Clause 2 of Article 6 as follows:

“1. Party B has the right to request voluntary disconnection in specific cases as specified in Attachment No. 5 and must comply with relevant regulations in the Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade.

2. Party A has the right to force disconnection in cases as provided in Article 74 of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade promulgating Regulations on Transmission Systems, Distribution Systems, and Energy Metering.”

f) Amend Clause 3 of Article 7 as follows:

“3. This connection agreement shall be made in four copies of equal value, each party retaining two copies.”

Article 3. Amend and supplement some articles of Circular No. 06/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, of the Minister of Industry and Trade regulating rules on dispatching, operation, manipulation, fault handling, black start, and national power system recovery

1. Amend Clause 3 of Article 4 as follows:

“3. The provincial dispatching level is the command and dispatch level for the distribution system within the province or centrally governed city, directly under the command of the corresponding regional dispatching level. The provincial dispatching level shall be undertaken by the dispatching units subordinate to the Hanoi Electricity Corporation, Ho Chi Minh City Electricity Corporation, and provincial electricity companies.”

2. Amend Clause 2, Clause 3, and Clause 4 of Article 12 as follows:

“2. Medium voltage grid within the province or centrally governed city.

3. 110kV transmission lines authorized to be controlled by the regional dispatching level, 110kV transformers (including 110kV side switching devices), except for 110kV transformers at power plants under the control of higher-level dispatching levels, medium voltage grids within the province or centrally governed city.

4. Power generation capacity of power plants with total installed capacity of up to 30 MW, diesel power sources connected to the grid, and other power sources connected to medium and low voltage grids within the province or centrally governed city.”

3. Amend Article 17 as follows:

“Article 17. Inspection Rights of Provincial Dispatching Level

Distribution networks under the control of the provincial dispatching level but have been authorized to be managed and operated by management units.”

4. Supplement Point l of Clause 1 of Article 35 as follows:

“l) Assess the need to implement load adjustment programs.”

5. Amend Clause 3 and Clause 4 of Article 42 as follows:

“3. After receiving the approved basic wiring diagram of the regional power system, before December 15 each year, the provincial dispatching level shall be responsible for approving and publishing the basic wiring diagram of the distribution system.

4. During operation, when it is deemed that the basic wiring diagram is no longer suitable, the dispatching levels shall prepare new wiring diagrams for the systems under their control and submit them to the supervising dispatching level for review and comments. The National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for approving the new wiring diagram of the national power system in the operational mode; the distribution company shall be responsible for approving the new wiring diagram of the distribution system under the control of the provincial dispatching level in the operational mode.”

6. Amend Clause 2 of Article 51 as follows:

“2. Before the 25th day of each month, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for publishing on the electronic information website the information assessing the ability to ensure power supply for the remaining months of the year.”

7. Amend Clause 5 of Article 54 as follows:

“5. Affected management and operation units shall cooperate and create conditions for the management and operation units to carry out maintenance and repair work according to Clause 4 of this Article. Affected units shall be responsible for registering the separation of equipment, shutdown, or reduction in availability of power sources under their management with the dispatching level having the authority to control.”

8. Amend Point b of Clause 5 of Article 65 as follows:

“b) Before the 25th day of each month, based on the information provided by power generation units, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for determining and publishing the list of power plants and generating units providing secondary frequency regulation services for the upcoming month on the electronic information website.”

9. Amend Article 66 as follows:

“Article 66. Content of Registration of Operation Mode

Based on the scope of management, control rights, and inspection rights, the Regional Dispatching Authority and Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for establishing and registering the operation mode including the following contents:

1. Forecast of system load under their control.

2. Plan for maintenance and repair of power grid under the inspection of higher-level dispatching authority.

3. Plan for commissioning of new power projects under the inspection of higher-level dispatching authority.

4. Testing program for equipment under the inspection of higher-level dispatching authority.

5. Plan for mobilization of power sources under their control.”

10. Amend Point b and Point c Clause 2 Article 67 as follows:

“b) Before the 15th day of each month, the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall submit the registration of the next month's operation mode to the Regional Dispatching Authority;

c) Before the 20th day of each month, the Regional Dispatching Authority shall submit the registration of the next month's operation mode to the National Dispatching Authority.”

11. Amend Point c Clause 2 Article 68 as follows:

“c) Before the 25th day of each month, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for completing and approving the National Power System Operation Mode for the next month, and report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.”

12. Amend Point c Clause 1 Article 71 as follows:

“c) Before December 20th of each year, the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Operation Management Unit about the approved distribution system operation mode for the next year.”

13. Amend Point a, Point b, and Point c Clause 2 Article 71 as follows:

“a) Before the 26th day of each month, the National Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Vietnam Electricity Corporation, Regional Dispatching Authority, and Operation Management Unit, and publishing on the official website regarding the approved national power system operation mode for the next month;

b) Before the 27th day of each month, the Regional Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority and Operation Management Unit about the approved regional power system operation mode for the next month;

c) Before the 28th day of each month, the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Operation Management Unit about the approved distribution system operation mode for the next month.”

14. Amend Point c Clause 3 Article 71 as follows:

“c) Before 17:00 on Friday of each week, the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Operation Management Unit about the approved distribution system operation mode for the next week.”

15. Amend Point c Clause 4 Article 71 as follows:

“c) Before 17:00 each day, the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority shall be responsible for notifying the Operation Management Unit about the distribution system operation mode for the next day if there are changes from the weekly operation mode.”

16. Amend Clause 1 Article 75 as follows:

“1. The National Dispatching Authority is the highest command center for the national power system, issuing dispatch orders to the Regional Dispatching Authority, power plants, substations, and other Operation Management Units within the national power system.”

17. Amend Article 77 as follows:

“Article 77. Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority

1. The Provincial Distribution Dispatching Authority issues dispatch orders to substations and power plants under its control and other Operation Management Units within the provincial distribution system.

2. The direct commander of the provincial distribution system dispatching is the Provincial Distribution Dispatcher. The immediate subordinates of the Provincial Distribution Dispatcher include:

a) Shift leader of power plant with equipment under control;

b) Crew leader of substation (on-site at the substation or at the substation control center) with equipment under control;

c) On-call operator (in case of operations at controlled equipment).”

18. Amend Point đ Clause 5 Article 173 as follows:

“đ) In addition to the reporting requirements for incidents as stipulated in Points a, b, c, and d Clause 5 of this Article, the Dispatching Authority with control rights shall be responsible for implementing incident reporting procedures in the national power system as follows:

- For prolonged incidents occurring in transmission systems at voltage levels of 220 kV and above causing equipment damage or incidents on the national power system leading to widespread power outages across one province or centrally-administered city, or incidents resulting in load shedding with capacity of 200 MW or more, immediately after isolating the affected element in the national power system, send an incident information report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade via text message or email;

- Within 36 hours of the incident, send an Incident Report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade via email according to the format specified in Appendix VIII issued together with this Circular;

- Regularly before the 20th day of each month, the National Power System Dispatching Unit shall be responsible for compiling and analyzing incident reports according to the format specified in Appendix IX issued together with this Circular (for incidents requiring analysis and evaluation) and incidents that occurred in the previous month, and send them to the Ministry of Industry and Trade via official mail and email for the following incidents:

+ Prolonged incidents on the 500 kV grid;

+ Prolonged incidents on the 220 kV, 110 kV grids, and power plants causing widespread power outages across one province or centrally-administered city, or three (03) inner-city wards of Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City, or load shedding with capacity of 200 MW or more, or directly affecting the operational mode of power plants participating in competitive electricity markets.”

19. Amend Article 220 as follows:

“Article 220. Provisions on the organization of inspection, issuance, and use of Operation Certificates

1. The National Dispatching Center shall be responsible for organizing inspections and issuing Operation Certificates according to the model set out in Appendix I attached to this Circular for positions directly involved in dispatching and operating work at the National Dispatching Center, Regional Dispatching Centers, power plants, and substations under its control.

2. The Regional Dispatching Center shall be responsible for organizing inspections and issuing Operation Certificates according to the model set out in Appendix I attached to this Circular for positions directly involved in dispatching and operating work at Provincial Distribution Dispatching Centers, power plants, substations, and control centers under its control.

3. The Provincial Distribution Dispatching Center shall be responsible for organizing inspections and issuing Operation Certificates according to the model set out in Appendix I attached to this Circular for positions directly involved in dispatching and operating work at power plants, substations, and control centers under its control.

4. For power plants and substations under the control of multiple dispatching levels, the highest level dispatching authority with control rights shall be responsible for inspecting and issuing Operation Certificates for positions involved in operating work.

5. The national system dispatching unit shall be responsible for establishing procedures for conducting inspections and issuing Operation Certificates for positions directly involved in dispatching and operating the national power system, and shall report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade before promulgating and announcing them.

6. Newly issued Operation Certificates have a validity period of ten years from the date of issuance.

7. When the remaining validity period of an Operation Certificate is less than six months, operational staff who pass the inspection requirements may apply for a new Operation Certificate. A newly issued Operation Certificate has a validity period of ten years from the date of issuance.

8. In cases where an Operation Certificate is lost or damaged and cannot be used, the operation management unit shall submit a written request for reissue along with the inspection results or previously issued Operation Certificate to the authorized inspection unit to request a reissue without further inspection. The reissued Operation Certificate will have a validity period corresponding to that of the previously issued Operation Certificate.

9. Operation Certificates and decisions recognizing positions involved in dispatching and operating work issued prior to the effective date of this Circular shall continue to be valid until their expiration date.

10. Operation Certificates for positions at various dispatching levels have equivalent validity at the same level of dispatching. Operation Certificates for the position of Shift Leader of Power Plant, Crew Leader of Substation, or Control Center have equivalent validity at other power plants, substations, or Control Centers at the same level of dispatching with specific control rights as follows:

a) An Operation Certificate for the Shift Leader of a Power Plant with an installed capacity greater than 30 MW applies to all other power plants of the same technology type and connection voltage or lower connection voltage.

b) An Operation Certificate for the Shift Leader of a Power Plant with an installed capacity from 10 MW to 30 MW applies to other power plants up to 30 MW of the same technology type and connection voltage or lower connection voltage.

c) An Operation Certificate for the Shift Leader of a Power Plant with an installed capacity below 10 MW applies to other power plants below 10 MW of the same technology type and connection voltage or lower connection voltage.

d) An Operation Certificate for the position of Crew Leader of Substation applies to operational staff expected to serve as Crew Leader of Substation at the same voltage level or lower voltage level.

20. Amend Clause 5 of Article 224 as follows:

“5. Having sufficient health to work on shift and crew schedules for the positions of System Dispatcher, SCADA Engineer of the national power system, and renewable energy shift duty.”

21. Amend Point 3 of Section II of Appendix I attached to the Circular as follows:

“3. Operation Certificates issued for positions directly involved in dispatching work at the Provincial Distribution Dispatching Center

a) Operation Certificate for Provincial Distribution Dispatcher with the code ĐĐ.Bx.01;

b) Operation Certificate for System Method Engineer of Distribution Network with the code ĐĐ.Bx.02;

c) Operation Certificate for SCADA/DMS Engineer of Distribution Network with the code ĐĐ.Bx.03.”

Article 4. Repeal certain clauses and articles of Circular No. 05/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on the transmission system, distribution system, and electricity metering.

1. Repeal Clause 2 and Clause 7 of Article 42.

2. Repeal Clause 7 of Article 161.

Article 5. Repeal certain points, clauses, and articles of Circular No. 06/2025/TT-BCT dated February 1, 2025, issued by the Minister of Industry and Trade on dispatching, operation, manipulation, fault handling, black start, and national power system recovery.

1. Repeal Point d of Clause 15 of Article 3, Point i of Clause 2 of Article 26, Point đ of Clause 4 of Article 26, Point a of Clause 11 of Article 26, Point a of Clause 1 of Article 67, Point a of Clause 2 of Article 67, Point a of Clause 3 of Article 67, Point a of Clause 4 of Article 67, Point b of Clause 1 of Article 80, Point i of Clause 1 of Article 123.

2. Repeal Clause 10 of Article 26, Clause 1 of Article 41, Clause 1 of Article 70, Clause 4 of Article 100, Clause 3 of Article 136, Clause 3 of Article 137, Clause 5 of Article 221.

3. Repeal Article 13, Article 18, Article 22, Article 27, Article 78, Article 128, Article 240, Article 241, Article 242.

Article 6. Implementation Provisions

1. This Circular takes effect from September 22, 2025, except for the cases provided for in Clause 2 of this Article.

2. The provisions at Clause 8 and Clause 14 of Article 2 of this Circular take effect from August 6, 2025.

3. In the course of implementation, if any issues arise, organizations and individuals shall report to the Ministry of Industry and Trade for guidance on implementation within their authority or for consideration of amendment and supplementation as appropriate./.