Watanabe made the statement at the second Vietnamese-Japanese high-level dialogue on boosting public-private partnership projects on July 16, which was co-chaired by him and Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Dao Quang Thu.

Japanese firms are negotiating with Vietnamese partners to invest in projects such as the Nghi Son 2, Vung Ang 2 and Van Phong 1. “These projects are feasible and meet Vietnam’s demand for energy, as well as the Japanese firms’ business plans,” Watanabe said.

According to the National Master Plan for Power Development for the 2011-2020 period, Vietnam’s electricity demand is forecasted to grow by 8.1-8.7 per cent per year, with 2020 demand at 330-362 billion kWh and 2030 demand at 695-834 billion kWh.

The Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) has forecasted that Vietnam may have to start importing coal before 2020 because domestic output will not be able to meet plants’ demands.