Vietnam and Australia advance energy regulation partnership

Vietnam has ambitious energy market reform aims. Regulatory settings have a critical role to play in achieving these aims and unlocking the financing needed to meet the country’s growing energy needs and drive its clean energy transition.

With support from Australia’s Partnerships for Infrastructure (P4I) initiative, 16 Vietnamese officials visited Sydney for a workshop with the Australian Energy Regulator (AER). From 23 to 26 October, they delved into Australia’s energy policy and regulatory mechanisms, and how these are accelerating our clean energy transition. They also heard from the Australian Energy Market Operator and the Clean Energy Regulator, and discussed the strategies and mechanisms required to efficiently regulate an energy sector undergoing rapid transformation, and to attract quality investment and financing.

Australian Ambassador to Vietnam, H.E. Andrew Goledzinowski said Australia’s energy regulator had much to share with Vietnam.

“Energy regulation has underpinned Australia’s clean energy transition to balance the interests of different stakeholders, including electricity suppliers and consumers” said Ambassador Goledzinowski.

“As Vietnam advances its energy sector towards renewables, regulatory measures can help ensure the market can meet the country’s growing energy needs, while remaining affordable.”

This workshop built on another P4I-funded workshop between the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Vietnam (ERAV) and AER in Vietnam in May 2023, which focused on the development of competitive electricity markets and the impact of variable and distributed renewable energy sources. 

These workshops are advancing long-term cooperation under the 2017 Memorandum of Understanding between AER and ERAV. They also form part of P4I’s broader support for the commitment to expand government-to-government engagement in Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.

On 26 October, P4I-funded delegates from Laos joined the workshop with their Vietnamese peers for a joint session on increasing inclusivity in the energy transition through energy affordability and accessibility. This reflects Australia’s growing trilateral cooperation with Laos and Vietnam on climate and energy issues. 

The Vietnamese delegation toured the Real-time Digital Simulation Laboratory at UNSW, experiencing first-hand the power of technology in accelerating the clean energy transition, and visited Narara Ecovillage, a sustainable smart-grid community located an hour north of Sydney.