Vietnam will need around US$3 billion per year for power projects from now to 2010 but Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the country’s sole electricity provider, can afford only a half of the investment, the rest will be raised from outside resources, Minister of Industry told a conference in Hanoi yesterday.
The move is aimed to meet the increasing power demand by its fast-growing economy with average electricity consumption up 17 per cent per annum, Minister Hoang Trung Hai said.
According to Reuter, the communist nation will construct 74 power plants from now to 2020 and is seeking great amount from foreign investment to this end.
The plan includes 48 hydroelectricity, 17 coal-fired, five gas-fuelled, two nuclear and two renewable power plants to raise capacity from 11,500MW now to 81,000 megawatts by then, Reuter said.
EVN’s director was quoted as saying that EVN will encourage local and international partners to finance EVN's projects under build-operate-transfer and build-own-operate forms or joint venture.
This year, EVN plans to mobilize around VND20 trillion (US$1.27 billion) to construct ten power projects including two hydropower plants - Huoi Quang and Ban Chat - kicked off earlier this year and another eight big power projects with a total capacity of 2,839 MW, including Song Tranh II, expanded Thac Mo, Khe Bo, O Mon I, Quang Ninh, O Mon III, expanded Uong Bi II and expanded Ninh Binh.
Meanwhile, EVN will start construction of four 500-kV transmission lines and sixty four 220-kV network and other 110-kV uniform electricity transmission systems, according to EVN.
In 2006 EVN targets to generate 51 billion kWh of commercial electricity and purchase from domestic generators and import from China about 8 billion kWh to meet domestic demand.
Hydro-power plants account for 40 percent of Vietnam's around 11,500 MW of electricity generating capacity, while 30 percent is generated by gas-fired plants and the remainder from coal- and fuel oil-fired plants.
In related development, a working team of the Ministry of Industry conduct online opinion poll on the adjusted schemes of the electricity price hikes which are now seeking for the governmental approval.
Labor, Liberated Saigon
Vietnamese
