Shrimp farmers in Nghe An use giant generators to cope with power outages

Power outageThe net has been continuously blocked in recent times and is likely to continue in the coming days, causing shrimp farmers to be anxious. Because with intensive shrimp farming in ponds, if the water fan stops working for just a few minutes, all the shrimp will float to the surface of the water, causing billions of dollars in damage.

Mr. Nguyen Cuong - shrimp farm owner said, this 150 Kw generator was bought for 300 million VND to serve the shrimp farm every time there is a power outage. Photo: Xuan Hoang

To proactively deal with the situation of rotating power outages like the past few days, many large-scale shrimp farm owners in Nghe An have invested hundreds of millions of dong to buy "huge" generators.

Mr. Nguyen Cuong in hamlet 2, Dien Trung commune, Dien Chau district, the owner of a 5-hectare shrimp pond, said that he has been attached to the profession.shrimp farmingFor decades, he has gained a lot of experience, especially in the summer when there are often power outages. Currently, the entire pond area has invested in shrimp farming using high technology, so it requires a large amount of daily electricity consumption. Therefore, every time there is a power outage, he has to use a large capacity generator to keep all dozens of water fans and other shrimp farming equipment running.

With an area of ​​5 hectares of high-tech shrimp farming ponds, it requires a large amount of electricity to operate the equipment. Photo: Xuan Hoang

"I have bought 2 before.generator. Of which, 1 machine has a capacity of 15 Kw and 1 machine has a capacity of 100 Kw, but it only meets 2/3 of the pond area. To provide electricity for the entire 5ha, a generator with a higher capacity is needed. Therefore, I recently invested 300 million VND to buy an additional generator with a capacity of up to 150 Kw. Accordingly, based on the existing pond area, the generator will be used appropriately. With this solution, the family no longer has to worry about power outages, however, the cost to run the generator is quite high," Mr. Nguyen Cuong shared.

For smaller shrimp farmers, coping strategies when the grid goes out are also a top concern. Mr. Ho Dinh Thang, a shrimp farm owner in Quynh Bang commune, Quynh Luu district, is concerned: Rolling power outages lasting for many hours/period like the past few days force shrimp farmers to spend many times more to buy fuel to run generators.

For farmed shrimp, it is necessary to operate the water fan regularly to provide enough oxygen in the pond. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Mr. Thang's family currently raises 2 shrimp ponds and must use 4 water fans. He said that if operating 1 water fan, a 15 Kw generator is enough, but if operating 4 water fans at the same time, a 50 Kw generator must be used. Therefore, Mr. Thang has currently invested in buying 4 generators, including 3 with a capacity of 15 Kw/machine and 1 with a capacity of 50 Kw.

"From mid-May until now, there have been frequent power outages. To save the shrimp, the family has invested tens of millions of dong to buy fuel to run the generator. If the power outage continues, the cost of buying fuel will be very high. Because, for shrimp farming, the water fan needs to run almost continuously 24/7, only stopping when feeding the shrimp," said Mr. Thang.

In the hot summer, in addition to water fans and other equipment, it is necessary to invest in a roof to keep the shrimp safe. Photo: Xuan Hoang

Shrimp farming is a profession that requires large investments from pond treatment to seed, feed, materials... so if there is a risk, the pond owner will lose billions. This summer, the situation of rotating power outages has been prolonged, causing shrimp pond owners to increase costs, suffering losses in all aspects, while the current price of commercial shrimp is very low, only 130,000 - 160,000 VND/kg./.