Measures taken to ensure power supply in central region

EVN CPC Deputy General Director Nguyen Thanh said since the end of 2015, the corporation instructed its member companies to coordinate with municipal and provincial Departments of Industry and Trade to list important customers and major events to outline a supply plan.

Workers are available to tackle emergency cases and minimise blackout periods, he said, adding that communication efforts have been stepped up to raise public awareness of power saving.

According to Thanh, electricity-saving programmes from the corporation helped save up to 2 percent of the total power output.

However, he said, to meet increasing demand in the long-run, more comprehensive solutions are needed, with coordination between relevant agencies and renewable energy programmes.

The corporation plans to invest more in power lines, particularly 110kV lines, from 2016-2020, Thanh said, suggesting that State agencies offer more incentives to encourage the development of new energy resources.

The central and Central Highlands regions are expected to consume up to 47 million kWh of electricity per day during this year’s dry season, a 12.4 percent increase against the same period last year.

The regions are grappling with drought due to impacts of El Nino, resulting in low water levels in local hydroelectricity stations. Total water in dams in the central, Central Highlands and southern regions now stand at only 3.29 billion cu.m, 1.84 billion cu.m lower than previous estimates.