According to Vietnam's Deputy Chairman for Electricity Power Association Tran Dinh Long the country's power shortages are caused by the delay in construction of several new power projects.
“Hydropower plants account for 40 per cent of the total power output, and low water levels play a part in the power shortage, but not the whole part. There was critical power shortage, even during the flooding season, and that's because new power projects are behind schedule,” said Long.
Earlier this year the government had forecast loss of nearly 1 billion KW-hours of electricity at hydropower plants due to lack of water in reservoirs. Long said that power losses at existing plants could be counterbalanced by production of power in new ones.
“The power shortage has forced many thermal power plants to continuously run at full capacity, making them prone to technical problems that cause even more critical shortages,” he said.
Additionally, the government has taken no pre-emptive measures to control the country's power consumption and has therefore been unable to supply the increasingly rising demand. Long called for the government to take stricter measures in dealing with the construction delays, and said Vietnam should diversify its power sources by developing renewable energy and nuclear power.
Source: Thanh Nien Daily
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