Vietnam is seeking to eliminate some new coal-fired power plant projects as part of its emissions reduction efforts, state media reported on Thursday.

The Southeast Asian country, a regional manufacturing hub, pledged at the COP 26 global climate summit in November last year to become carbon neutral by 2050.

Countries that burn coal are under pressure to shift away from the dirty fossil fuel, which is the single biggest emitter of greenhouse gases responsible for climate change.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade has asked the government to remove coal projects with a combined capacity of 14,120 megawatts from a national master power development plan that is being drafted, according to a report by Voice of Vietnam radio.

Most of these projects were to be developed by state utility Vietnam Electricity, state oil firm PetroVietnam and state coal mining firm Vinacomin, the media report said.

Under the latest draft of the master power development plan, Vietnam’s total installed power generation capacity would be raised to 121,000 MW by 2030 and to 284,000 MW by 2045, from 76,600 MW at the end of last year, according to media.

The proportion of coal in the country’s energy mix would be reduced to 13.2% by 2045 from an estimated 31% in 2030.

In May, the industry minister said developing nuclear power is an “inevitable trend”, signalling that authorities may consider resuming a plan to construct nuclear power plants after the programme was suspended six years ago on safety concerns and budget constraints.