Hanoi (VNA) – Electricity of Vietnam(EVN) has forecast the average electricity consumption will rise 6.4% to 793.8million kWh per day in July, as heat waves are expected to hit the northern andcentral regions.

To meet the rising demand, the group said itwill continue with measures to ensure electricity supply for socio-economicdevelopment and people’s daily life, while ensuring safety of the electricitysystem and gradually removing its financial difficulties.

Regarding electricity generation, EVN willoptimise the capacity of hydro power plants with good water flows. Thermalpower plants fueled by coal and gas will be operated depending on demand, whileoil-fueled plants will be on stand-by.

Besides, the group will maintain constructionpace on important transmission projects such as the Vung Ang – Quang Trach 500kVline and the Chu Se 220kV transformer station.

Also in July, EVN will instruct its subsidiaries to get personnel and equipmentready around the clock so as to timely respond to any situation and handleincidents.

The group reported that electricity demand rose strongly in June as all threeregions in the country were hit by heatwaves. The peak electricity capacityreached a new record of 45,528 MW on June 21, surpassing the peakcapacity in 2021 by nearly 3,100 MW. The daily electricity output also set anew record of 900 million kWh also on June 21.

Total electricity output in June reached 24.52 billion kWh. The figure for thefirst six months of the year increased by 3.8% to 133.11 billion kWh, of whichhydro power plants generated 41.58 billion kWh, or 31.2% of the total.Coal-fueled plants contributed 55.79 kWh, or 41.8%, gas-fueled plants supplied15.22 billion kWh, or 11.4%. Renewable energy accounted for 14.4% of totaloutput with 19.2 billion kWh, with 14.25 billion kWh from solar energy and 4.67billion kWh from wind power.

In the first months of 2022, complicateddevelopments of the COVID-19 pandemic affected the progress of many powerprojects. Prices of materials rose high, foreign experts were unable to arrivein the country and there was a shortage of domestic workers. The group alsofaced many difficulties in coordinating with localities in ground clearancework.  

However, efforts by EVN subsidiaries in groundclearance and the application of new technologies have helped accelerate thepace of key projects.

Regarding transmission projects, EVN and itssubsidiaries started work on 67 projects in the first six months of the year,while putting into operation 49 electricity transmission networks.  

The group is focusing resources on the expanded Ialy hydro power plant, theQuang Trach 1 thermal power plant and the Phuoc Thai solar power plants No 2and 3.

EVN also said it will invest more in clean energy in the yearsahead to meet the rising demand for power in national development.

The group has submitted to the Government its proposal on mechanisms toencourage the development of renewable energy such as wind and solar poweralong with storage systems.

EVN expects to put into operation around 5,500 MW of electricity from renewables, with 4,000 MW from wind power and 1.500 MW from solar powerby 2025, to prevent a shortage of power, especially in northern localities.

Thegroup has also asked the Government for permission to develop offshore windpower in the northern region to increase electricity supply for the región andensure national power security.

Electricity demand is surging in the context of Vietnam making all-outefforts for socio-economic recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic is put undercontrol.

According to the power development plan in 2022,EVN can ensure sufficient power supply for the central and southern regions.The northern region may face a shortage at some points of time, particularlyduring severe heat waves./.