Power supplies continue to be a problem

Electricity of Viet Nam (EVN) yesterday announced that power supplies this month would continue to face difficulties due to unpredictable weather patterns and repairs under way on many of the country’s thermal power plants.

According to EVN estimates, this month, the power sector could generate an average 300 million kWh per day, 1 million kilowatts higher than July, but the national grid had no capacity for reserves.

EVN said that by the end of July, although water levels in reservoirs in the north had improved, reservoirs in the central area of the country were still lower than average levels in previous years.

In particular, water levels in the Ialy, Tri An, Thac Mo and Ham Thuan reservoirs had been closer to levels at which hydro-power plants could no longer operate. The water level in the Tri An Reservoir was only 0.1m higher than dead level at which point it was no longer safe to operate turbines, while the difference at the Thac Mo Reservoir was just 0.5m.

Therefore, to ensure stable electricity supplies for production and consumer use, EVN had asked their hydropower plants in the north to accumulate water to as high levels as possible, continue increasing capacity of coal-and oil-based thermal power plants and buying electricity from China.

In the first seven months of the year, EVN produced 33.15 billion kWh and bought from abroad 21.70 billion kWh, an increase of 5.59 per cent and 38.52 per cent on the same period last year. — VNS

Tags: Vietnam energy, Vietnam power shortage