GE Vernova Commissions Vietnam’s First HA-Class LNG Power Plants

Nhon Trach 3 and 4 Power Plants are Vietnam’s first facilities to deploy H-class gas turbines and the country’s first power plants fueled by liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Executed under an EPC contract by the Samsung C&T-Lilama consortium, the facilities represent a milestone in Vietnam’s power sector. Nhon Trach 3 and 4 are the country’s first power plants to deploy HA-class gas turbine technology and its first LNG-fired power generation project.

The commissioning aligns with Vietnam’s revised Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8), under which LNG is positioned as a key source of flexible generation to support system reliability and renewable energy integration. LNG-fired capacity is projected to reach 22 GW by 2030, accounting for approximately 9.5–12.3% of total installed capacity.

As electricity demand continues to rise in southern Vietnam, the Nhon Trach 3 and 4 plants are expected to play a central role in ensuring supply adequacy while supporting the country’s broader energy transition objectives. The project marks a significant shift away from coal-based generation, leveraging high-efficiency combined-cycle gas technology to reduce lifecycle emissions and improve overall system performance.

The plants are powered by GE Vernova’s 9HA.02 gas turbines, among the most efficient 50 Hz turbines currently in commercial operation. In a combined-cycle configuration, the facilities achieve efficiencies exceeding 63%, positioning them among the highest-performing gas-fired power plants globally. Compared with coal-fired plants of similar capacity, carbon emissions are estimated to be approximately 60% lower.

Fuel flexibility is a key design feature of the project. The 9HA.02 turbines are capable of operating on LNG today, with provisions for co-firing up to 50% hydrogen, and a long-term pathway toward 100% hydrogen, supporting Vietnam’s stated net-zero emissions target by 2050.

Beyond emissions reduction, the plants provide critical dispatchable capacity to stabilize the national grid, facilitating the large-scale deployment of variable renewable energy such as solar and wind, an increasingly important requirement as renewable penetration expands.

Under the project scope, GE Vernova supplied two power generation units, each exceeding 800 MW, comprising:

• 9HA.02 gas turbines

• STF-D650 steam turbines

• W88 generators

• Once-Through Heat Recovery Steam Generators (OT HRSGs), enabling advanced steam-cycle performance

Plant operations are managed using GE Vernova’s *Mark VIe Distributed Control System (DCS)**, designed to enhance operational visibility, improve reliability and availability, and reduce long-term operation and maintenance costs.

Commenting on the project, Ramesh Singaram, President and CEO of GE Gas Power, Asia-Pacific, said the deployment of HA-class technology in Vietnam demonstrates how high-efficiency gas generation can support renewable growth while maintaining grid stability in fast-growing power systems.

GE Vernova currently provides technology supporting approximately 30% of Vietnam’s total power generation, with more than 1,100 employees across 13 facilities nationwide. Its regional manufacturing and service footprint includes the Phu My Service Center and the Dung Quat HRSG manufacturing facility, which supplied key pressure modules for the Nhon Trach 3 and 4 project./.