HANOI: The northern region of Vietnam is forecasted to experience a power shortage of up to 1,770 MW during the peak of the dry season next year, which equals 10 per cent of the region’s total power demand, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Tuesday, reported Xinhua.
The ministry predicted that during June and July next year, the region will see a shortage of 420 to 1,770 MW if hydropower reservoirs continue to record low water levels.
The figures are calculated based on a nearly nine per cent increase in the country’s electricity demand next year.
Vietnam’s total power production reached 186.3 billion kilowatt-hours in the first eight months of this year, a year-on-year increase of 2.7 per cent.
Given the context of the annual rising power demand of 10 per cent, northern Vietnam is predicted to continuously face power shortages in the coming years.
Meanwhile, coal-fired power plants can only meet one-third of the country’s demand from now until 2030, local newspaper VnExpress reported, citing Nguyen Anh Tuan, a power expert at the Vietnam Energy Association.
Vietnam has switched focus to renewable energy with 18 transitional renewable power plants in trial and commercial operation, with a total capacity of nearly 1,116 MW. –Bernama
