EVN sparks new power developments

The state-run energy company needs to develop Vietnam’s power infrastructure to meet growing electricity demands

Under its plan for the period, the power giant (EVN) has set a target to complete and operate 19 turbines from 11 electricity projects and prepare to commence construction of the country’s first nuclear power plant in the central province of Ninh Thuan.

Key power projects include Lai Chau hydropower plant, thermal power plant Vinh Tan, and Duyen Hai and O Mon power centres.

From 2011 to 2015, EVN spent nearly VND480 trillion ($22.3 billion) to develop power plants and the power grid, 2.37 times the amount spent from 2006 to 2010.

Electricity demand in Vietnam is expected to see a remarkable increase of more than 10 per cent per annum in the near future, due to a rapidly increasing population and economic growth. In particular, southern Vietnam faces a critical situation due to the current imbalance between existing supply and the increasing demand for electricity. There is an urgent need for the development of power generation infrastructure in the region.

Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai warned that the lack of a stable supply of electricity in the southern provinces would increase the risk of power shortages if EVN and other investors of build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects delayed their work.

EVN’s deputy general director Dinh Quang Tri said in a conference that the southern power system would still have to cover around 25 per cent of demand from the northern and central regions, which is about 20 billion kWh for the whole year. He also stressed the importance of ensuring gas fuel and coal for the stable and safe operation of power plants in the south, such as Vinh Tan 2 and Duyen Hai 1.

The Vietnam Energy Association (VEA) had previously warned that power projects in Vietnam’s power development plan for 2011-2020 could miss deadlines, as most of the projects on the list lacked both investors and funds.

“It will be hard for us to reach 75,000 megawatts of power generation capacity in the next eight years,” revealed a VEA document.

Tri said EVN had met demands for electricity for daily life, production, and business activities in 2015 with a total commercial electricity volume of 143.34 billion kWh of electricity, up 11.44 per cent over 2014.

In the past five years, commercial electricity volume has increased by 10.84 per cent per year. Annual electricity use surged by 11.7 per cent in the industry-construction sector, 20.1 per cent in the agriculture sector, 14.1 per cent in trade and services, 9.6 per cent in domestic consumption, and 7.6 per cent for other sectors, according to Tri.

He added that the commercial electricity volume in 2016 is expected to increase by 11-12 per cent compared to 2015, and that EVN would be able to provide an efficient supply of electricity for the nation.