HCMCity (VNA) - The electricity industry must improve its management andtechnology to reduce losses in the transmission grid as well as eradicate powerstealing, which are very serious in rural and remote areas, delegates heard ata recent seminar in Con Dao Island in the southern province of Ba Ria – VungTau.

Vietnamis ranked 88th of 137 nations for power loss at 8.95 percent, according to theInternational Energy Agency.

“Upgradingtechnology for the transmission grid and increasing awareness in rural and remoteresidents about power stealing are two urgent jobs,” Nguyen Tan Nghiep from theSouthern Power Association told the Sai Gon Giai Phong (Liberated Saigon)newspaper.

TheVietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has set the goal to reduce power loss from 8.95percent to 6.5 percent by 2020 by applying new technical and operationalsolutions as well as building new electricity plants and transmission grids.

During2016-2020, EVN has invested in 13 electricity projects with total capacity of6,989 MW.

Byensuring electricity supply, power won’t need to be transmitted far distancesand it will help reduce losses.

Forthe transmission grid, a 500kV and 220kV grid in Hanoi, HCM City and other bigand industrial cities and provinces will be developed with modern technology tolimit power loss.

Lackof supply

By2020, hydropower, renewable and thermal power by gas will only provide 48.3 percentof power demand and fall to 39.9 percent by 2030, but power demand is expectedto increase 9 – 10 percent each year during 2016 -2030.

Furthermore,a nuclear power plant in the central province of Ninh Thuan has been stopped bythe Government, therefore, coal thermal power must be considered for economicefficiency and environmental pollution.

“Inthe context of a 50 percent shortage of power, proper power supply must becarefully chosen,” Dr Tran Trong Quyet, vice chairman of the Southern PowerAssociation, said.

Hepointed out that renewable power would ensure environmental protection, but itwould require a huge initial investment.

“Coalthermal power will require a lot of land, is a big problem for environmentalpollution and is a large expenditure, but it still plays a very important rolein ensuring national power security,” he added.

Tolimit the impact of coal thermal power, Quyet warned that modern technology todeal with coal slag and ensure coal supply must be done carefully.-VNA