Vietnam to reduce thermal power production

May 5th at 20:04
05-05-2021 20:04:23+07:00

Vietnam to reduce thermal power production

Vietnam targets reducing coal-fired power production by 6 percent this year to prioritize solar and wind energy even as it grapples with limited transmission capacity.

An electrician fixes cables in Ho Chi Minh City. Photo by VnExpress/Thanh Nguyen.

This means a cut of 8 billion kilowatt-hours from a projected 126 billion kilowatt hours of coal-fired power this year. National utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) estimates total production from all sources at 260 billion kilowatt-hours.

EVN has also suspended around 8,000 megawatts of hydropower plant capacity from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. every day in the first four months of this year to prioritize solar power intake, which peaks at noon.

However, reducing the intake from coal-fired and hydropower plants comes with consequences, with the rising frequency of turbine restarts increasing the risk of system failures.

The number of restarts due to oversupply last year surged 2.6 times over 2019 to 192. In the first four months this year alone, there were 334 restarts.

With these cuts, EVN seeks to prioritize solar and wind power intake and also wants to double their production from last year to 32 kilowatt-hours this year.

Solar and wind power capacity is set to hit 20,000 megawatts this year, accounting for 30 percent of total supply.

But due to limited capacity of the transmission lines, renewable energy only accounts for 12 percent of total production. The figure is set to rise to 17 percent in the next five years.

The rest of production comes from traditional sources like thermal power and hydropower.

EVN has earlier said it will also cut 15-20 percent of solar and wind power capacity to reduce pressure on the national grid.

"Cutting down renewable energy is something EVN does not desire because it hurts developers," Nguyen Duc Ninh, director of the National Load Dispatch Center under EVN, said at a meeting Tuesday.

The dilemma that Vietnam faces now, having an oversupply of renewable energy but limited transmission capacity, has happened because of poor management and planning, experts say.

Tran Dinh Long, deputy chairman of the Vietnam Electrical Engineering Association (VEEA), said that the boom in solar power in recent years show lack of anticipation on the burden they would place on the national grid.

Vnexpress





NEWS SAME CATEGORY

Contract signed for construction of extension to Ialy power plant

The state electricity utility EVN has signed an agreement with a consortium of five contractors for the construction of an extension to the Ialy hydropower plant in...

Vietnam Furniture Matching Week kicks off in HCM City

The Vietnam Furniture Matching Week, held by the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of Ho Chi Minh City (HAWA), kicked off in the southern city on April 14.

Index of industrial production rises in first four months

The first four months of 2021 witnessed the rise of the Index of Industrial Production by 10 per cent compared to the same period last year, showing the positive...

Vinacomin’s revenue hits US$1.67 billion in four months

The Viet Nam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) sold nearly 13.9 million tonnes of coal in the first four months of 2021...

Enterprises bump up prices on rising raw material costs

With raw materials prices rising, enterprises are hiking prices to protect their profit margins.

US, European buyers pivot away from China, toward Vietnam

Demand for Vietnamese products is increasing among U.S. and European buyers, many of whom are seeking to diversify their buying away from China, a survey has found.

Why Vietnamese brands struggle in other markets

Trade protection and brand building have become an imperative for product distinction of local businesses in overseas markets. Wolfgang Friess and Trung Trinh Hien...

Hanoi rates OCOP products together with IP protection

Many rural products of Hanoi needs protection for their trademarks.

Vietnam-RoK agreement minimizes origin pressure on exports to EU

The agreement on cumulation of origin of textile materials signed by Vietnam and the Republic of Korea (RoK) is helping Vietnamese textile and garment enterprises...

Vietnam needs improved marketing strategy

The global outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic has made the world realize the limitations in the current supply chain, which shows an over reliance on just one link...


MOST READ


Back To Top