Frozen seafood loses quality due to prolonged power outages.

Many facilities are unable to maintain normal operating lines.

In the coastal areas of Nghe An province, where many seafood processing facilities are concentrated, freezing systems play a crucial role. This is an important step in preserving raw materials and finished products, serving both domestic consumption and export markets.

However, continuously from the end of August until now, due to the impact of typhoons No. 5, No. 9, and No. 10, which caused prolonged power outages lasting for many hours and days, the facilities have been unable to maintain normal operation.

Mr. Tran Van Ha, the owner of a seafood processing and freezing facility in Quynh Phu commune (formerly Quynh Luu district), said: "The biggest worry in the seafood purchasing and freezing business is prolonged power outages, which affect the quality of the seafood. Even if solutions are found, they are very costly. The impact of typhoons No. 9 and No. 10 recently affected all three of our freezing warehouses. The temperature couldn't be maintained at deep sub-zero levels, causing goods to spoil easily, and many batches of squid and fish showed signs of deterioration," Mr. Ha explained.

According to Mr. Ha, to ensure quality, the cold storage facility must maintain a temperature of -35°C during freezing and -18°C during refrigeration of seafood. Otherwise, seafood, especially boiled squid, will change color, its commercial value will decrease to only about 30%, or it may even become unsaleable and have to be sold to fishmeal processing facilities.

It's not just Mr. Ha; many other businesses are facing a similar situation. Power outages are causing delays in goods delivery and disrupting plans to ship to export partners.

Mr. Le Hoi Hung, residing in Tan Mai ward, stated that his family owns three seafood freezing facilities, each with a storage capacity of over 15 tons. Monthly shipments of seafood are distributed to domestic and international buyers.

During the power outages caused by Typhoon No. 10, not only was the supply of goods to customers not guaranteed, but the quality of frozen seafood also deteriorated significantly because the temperature in the warehouse could not be maintained stably, rising to above-zero levels. It is estimated that during this power outage, Mr. Hung's family had about 30 tons of seafood affected by the reduced quality.

Prolonged power outages not only damage freezing facilities but also directly impact workers. Seafood processing plants typically employ dozens to hundreds of workers. When production grinds to a halt, workers are forced to take time off, resulting in reduced income.

Ms. Nguyen Thi Hoa, a worker at a freezing facility in Tan Mai ward, shared: "For the past few days, due to continuous power outages, we have been forced to stop working. Since our wages are based on output, we are at a significant disadvantage."

Temporary solution

To cope, many facilities have been forced to rent or buy high-capacity generators to maintain freezing operations. However, this solution is only temporary and extremely costly.

Mr. and Mrs. Phan Lam, owners of a cold storage facility in Dien Chau commune, said that after Typhoon No. 10, their family rented a large-capacity generator to power their cold storage. However, calculations showed that the cost was very high; running the generator consumed hundreds of liters of fuel per day, increasing electricity costs by 3-4 times compared to normal rates. For large-scale facilities, fuel costs could reach tens of millions of dong per day. If power outages are prolonged, cold storage facilities will struggle to survive.”

Mr. Le Hoi Hung from Tan Mai ward stated that, due to economic constraints preventing him from purchasing a large-capacity generator or renting one, the only solution during prolonged power outages lasting many hours or days is to absolutely keep the warehouse doors closed to maintain the cold temperature inside for longer. However, while the warehouse might maintain a certain temperature for two days, the quality of the seafood would be affected by the rising temperature on the third day. In cases where the seafood deteriorates and becomes unusable for consumption, he has to accept selling it cheaply to fishmeal processing facilities.

Furthermore, continuous operation of generators poses risks to workplace safety, environmental pollution, and reduces equipment lifespan. Therefore, business owners hope that the Electricity sector will soon find solutions to address these issues and ensure a stable power supply.