The consumption of electricity in Vietnam always peaks during the dry season, particularly from March to June. During this time, hydroelectric plants which account for more than 30 percent of supply cannot run at full capacity due to water shortage and new generators are still in the process of trial runs. The power system does not have a backup supply, which will worsen the supply situation.
The total electricity demand is forecast at 117.6 billion kWh in 2011, including 56.14 billion kWh in the first six months, up 18.3 percent over the same period of 2010.
In order to deal with difficulties in power supply, the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade has demanded the State-owned Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) to have an appropriate power supply plan for the dry season in 2011. Accordingly, the State power utility will mobilise all available sources for power generation, including high-priced ones (diesel and fuel oil), to meet the demand. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has instructed EVN to ensure a maximal supply of electricity and safe operation during the dry season in 2011 to meet the demand of companies and people. Power plants will be operated at highest possible capacity and trial-running facilities will be put into official operation as soon as possible. Power companies have been requested to reschedule their maintenance and repairing plans while investors have been urged to speed up construction to put their facilities into operation.
With serious foreseeable power shortages during the dry season and based on electricity supply and system operation plans in 2011 approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the EVN has allocated output and capacity in the first six months of the year to regional power corporations and instructed them to plan monthly, daily outputs and daily limit capacities to reallocate to their affiliated companies. In February 2011, power companies at regional, provincial and municipal levels submitted specific local power supply plans to their governing People’s Committees to have official plans to follow up. In the first two months this year, EVN mobilised all available sources to supply electricity for companies and people. The power output of the entire system accumulated 15.852 billion kWh in the first two months of 2011, up 13.5 percent over the same period in 2010. Specifically, the amount of electricity generated by EVN and purchased from non-EVN sources totalled 15.353 billion kWh, a year on year rise of 12.49 percent, including 6.371 billion kWh of electricity produced by EVN, up 9.9 percent, and 8.982 billion kWh of electricity purchased from other sources, up 14.39 percent (956 million kWh was purchased from China, up 28.89 percent). In March 2011, the system was estimated to supply 294.8 million kWh of electricity a day and the aggregate generator capacity ranged from 15,500 MW to 16,100 MW. EVN is striving to ensure sufficient power supply for the country in the month. Power companies are trying to maintain water reserves at reservoirs nationwide like Hoa Binh, Thac Ba, Tuyen Quang, Plei Krong, Ialy, Tri An, Thac Mo and Ham Thuan. Other sources of power generation like coal-fired, gas-fuelled and oil-fuelled thermal power plants are also running at full capacity. The EVN Group is also purchasing electricity from China at the maximum volume. The group also ensures safe operation of the 220 - 500 kV grid, especially the 500 kV North - South transmission line.
According to experts, pressures on dry season power supply will ease if the whole society acts together to economise electricity. In addition to supply increasing solutions, EVN should boost propaganda programmes to persuade and instruct people to save energy. Companies need to actively implement power-saving solutions to ease power shortages.
H.O
Vietnamese
