Vietnam | BESS Moves from Pilot Projects Toward Grid Infrastructure

Sep 7

2 min read

As electricity demand continues to rise in Northern Vietnam, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are increasingly being deployed as a tool to support grid stability during peak demand periods.

During the August heatwave, electricity demand in Bac Ninh reached around 3,229 MW at certain times. At peak periods, Bac Ninh Power Company deployed approximately 30 MW of BESS capacity to support the local grid.

While 30 MW represents less than 1% of the province's total electricity demand, the key value of BESS lies in when the electricity is delivered.

🔋 BESS can charge when electricity demand is relatively low and discharge during periods of peak demand, helping reduce pressure on the grid and potentially avoiding the need for demand reduction.

More importantly, this is not an isolated project.

EVNNPC plans to deploy a total of 530 MW of BESS across 83 substations in Northern Vietnam, with the rollout divided into three phases. So far, nine substations have completed installation.

The 110 kV Song Khe substation in Bac Ninh was among the first sites to operate the technology, while BESS at the 110 kV Yen Phong 4 substation began operation on August 16.

The deployment strategy also highlights an important feature of BESS: charging and discharging schedules are not necessarily fixed.

Instead, batteries can be dispatched according to real-time grid conditions — charging when demand is lower and discharging when the system requires additional capacity.

For Vietnam's rapidly growing power system, this creates a potentially important alternative to simply expanding generation and transmission infrastructure.

Generation expansion → Grid expansion → Storage & flexibility

BESS can help make better use of existing grid infrastructure, reduce the risk of overload, and provide additional flexibility when electricity demand spikes.

At the same time, the rollout demonstrates that large-scale BESS deployment requires more than batteries themselves. Existing substations must accommodate additional equipment, while operators need to manage battery temperature, charging status, voltage, current, cooling systems and fire protection.

This means Vietnam's BESS market is entering a stage where deployment, grid integration, operational experience and safety standards will become increasingly important alongside battery costs and technology.

The broader trend is clear:

🇻🇳 Vietnam's BESS market is gradually moving from technology demonstration toward practical grid-side applications.

With EVNNPC planning hundreds of megawatts of storage across its network, BESS could become an increasingly important component of Vietnam's strategy for managing peak demand and integrating a more flexible power system.