The Energy Institute June 5 submitted its complete supplement to the power development plan for the 2006-2015 period, through which Vietnam’s power sector will need some VND63,100 billion (roughly US$4 billion) a year to develop new power sources and works to serve power purchase from outside sources, state media reported.
Under the supplemented plan, the northern region will build and operate four hydropower and nine thermal power plants with combined capacity of 5,500 megawatt, including 600MW to be bought from China in 2007-2010 period, whereas central Vietnam will construct 13 hydropower plants and one power works to purchase electricity from outside with a combined capacity of some 2,600MW.
Meanwhile, seven hydroelectricity sources and five thermo-power plants with total capacity of 4,600MW will be built in the southern region.
According to this scheme, southern Vietnam, which currently provides power to the northern and central regions will receive some 8 billion kWh of electricity back from the northern and central regions from 2010.
This plan belongs to the power sector, Industry Minister Hoang Trung Hai said after hearing opinions from the appraisal council, adding that construction of new power sources can be speeded up. However, Hai noted that if a power market is not to be formed, there’ll be no way to mobilize investment capital as well as create incentives for the power sector.
In the 2006-2010 alone, the investment capital for the power sector will account for 13.7 per cent of Vietnam’s total investment, therefore the power sector should tap sources of preferential loans and the build-operate-transfer (BOT) model for these projects, the institute said.
The Minister also asked the institute to complete the supplemented plan in June that will be polled from related ministries and agencies and then will be submitted to the government for approval.
According to the institute, in the 2006-2010, power growth rate for production activities is projected to rise 16.1 per cent; 11 per cent in 2011-2015; 9.1 per cent from 2016 to 2010 and down to 8 per cent from 2021 to 2025.
Vietnam & World Economy, VNA
Vietnamese
