EVN delays fuel discontent

While the country is being racked by power shortages, the construction of two major power plants by Electricity of Viet Nam has been dragging on for years.

The Hai Phong Thermal Power Plant and Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant, both in the north, are expected to generate 6.3 billion KWh a year when built. The annual demand in the country now is more than 96 billion KWh.

At a meeting with a task force from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the company contracted to build the former admitted the Hai Phong No 1 Thermal Power Plant has so far overshot the deadline by 21 months.

Its managers claimed the main causes for the delays are the area’s muddy soil, the increase in cost of construction materials, and the lack of management experience.

The quality of workers and machines are not up to scratch either, they said.

Tran Huu Nam, the company’s general manager, said the Hai Phong No 2 project will be 24 months late, blaming it on problems with borrowing from a Chinese bank.

Work to expand the Uong Bi Thermal Power Plant in Quang Ninh Province started in May 2008 and the plant was to have been handed over to EVN in June 2011 when it begins to generate an additional 1.98 billion KWh a year.

But according to Phung Van Sinh, deputy manager of the company building it, problems with machinery means there could be a delay.

Reservoirs run low

Tran Viet Ngai, chairman of the Viet Nam Energy Association, said the power shortage is due to the dwindling storage at hydroelectric plants.

The daily output at hydroelectric plants has fallen to 40 – 45 million KWh, 5 million KWh lower than EVN expected.

EVN has been buying 14.5 million KWh daily from China to bridge the gap but it has not been adequate to meet supply.

“The demand has surged this year,” Ngai said.

According to EVN, the discharge at Hoa Binh lake is only 1,450 cubic metres a second. Its turbines can only function at full capacity when the discharge is 5,000 – 6,000 cubic metres.

Tuyen Quang and Thac Ba Lakes too face the same problem.

A EVN spokesperson said while hydroelectric plants normally supply 34 per cent of the country’s power needs, they are working at just a third of their capacity now, leading to the serious shortage.

Ngai blamed the shortage also on EVN’s failure over a period of time to accurately estimate future demand.

But he added that the shortages are expected to ease by 2015. — VNS

Tags: EVN, Vietnam energy