Southern Vietnam will run the risk of falling short of electricity in 2018-2019, so if there is no solution, a serious power shortage would occur, said Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung during his tour of several power projects in Soc Trang and Hau Giang provinces on Friday
“The accelerated pace of constructing power plants, especially in the south, along with the upgrade of transmission projects, is a key task for 2017 and beyond,” he said.
In order to meet the electricity demand by 2030, the Mekong Delta region alone has to invest in 16 thermal power projects along with renewable power developments, in addition to more electricity purchases from neighboring countries. The development of thermal power plants also leads to a great need to build ports and warehouses to supply coal and gas to power plants.
According to a report of Vietnam Electricity Corporation (EVN), the peak demand for power output in the south in 2016 was 13,262 MW, an increase of 12.4% compared to 2015, and the total commercial electricity output in 2016 reached 76.85 billion kWh in the southern region, accounting for 48.1% of the nation’s total.
From 2017, it is necessary to mobilize oil-fueled power generation in the South with the capacity of about 8.6 billion kWh per year. In the coming years, the output of thermal power generation will highly depend on supplies of fuels, especially imported gas and coal.
To ensure power supply for the south in 2016, the north-south power transmission lines were always operated at full tilt high loads, with electricity transmission from the north and the midland to the south amounting to over 15.8 billion kWh, about 18% of the south’s electricity demand.
Besides, EVN has operated several power projects, including Vinh Tan 2, Duyen Hai 1 and O Mon 1. At present, EVN and other investors are implementing some projects such as Duyen Hai 3 expansion and Vinh Tan 4, and are preparing to invest in Quang Trach and Tan Phuoc thermal power plants.
However, the two power plants Long Phu 1 and Song Hau 1 play a particularly important role, greatly affecting the ability to provide electricity for the south. However, both projects are in slow progress although the investors and contractors have made great efforts.
At a meeting after an inspection, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung asked the investors and contractors to report in detail the progress, difficulties, and problems in the process of constructing Long Phu 1 and Song Hau 1 thermal power plants to find appropriate solutions.
In addition, Dung asked for synchronized solutions to minimize power shortages, including ensuring progress schedule, operational safety, quality management of power projects as well as environmental protection and power usage effectiveness.
Source: http://english.thesaigontimes.vn