Electricity supply sufficient for summer

The Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade (MoIT) said that the power supply will be sufficient for this summer due to high water levels and more power projects to be put into operation.
The water levels at Hoa Binh Hydropower plant reached 106 metres, much higher than previous years. The current water levels at Son La Hydropower have risen to 202 metres.

According to statistics from Vietnam of Electricity (EVN), in early 2012, it began operating 2 turbines, with a total capacity of 176.5MW. The 500 kV Son La – Hiep Hoa power grid along with other new power project that joined the power grid in March have provided sufficient power for northern provinces.

EVN has plans to put the turbine 5 in Son La Hydropower Plant into operation, complete the building of turbine 2 in Dong Nai 4 Plant and get turbine 2 in Kanak Plant online. Repair and upgrade projects that would increase the power generation capacity of several power stations, such as Hoa Binh – Xuan Mai, and the waterproof treatment at Song Tranh 2 Hydrypower are also gearing up.

To ensure a stable power supply, MIT ordered EVN to cooperate with PVN and Vinacomin to map out a clear schedule to provide electricity for summer. Reservoirs in central region must reach sufficient water levels by June 1.

Addressing the issue of power supply for Hanoi, EVN asked National Transmission Corporation and EVN Hanoi to speed up the progress of both high and low-voltage power projects. Currently, it has replaced three 100kV transformers and is upgrading 110 and 220 kV power grids such as Van Dien-Tia, Ha Dong-Thanh Cong.

In order to receive the 10.6 billion kWh, the total capacity of transformers in Hanoi must reached at least 5,000 MVA. This year Hanoi plans to invest 1,7 trillion dong (US$81,5 billion) to build, upgrade and put into operation more power grids.

The most challenging issue is the progress of power projects in Hanoi, many of which are far behind the schedule. Up until now, only one out of six 220kV transformers and four out of eleven 110kV transformer are completed.