Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chairs meeting on electricity supply situation

On the morning of April 3, at the Government headquarters, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting on the electricity supply situation and the issue of coal and gas supply for electricity production.

Also attending were Deputy Prime Ministers Le Minh Khai and Le Van Thanh; Minister and Head of the Government Office; leaders of the ministries of Planning and Investment, Industry and Trade, Natural Resources and Environment, and Finance; leaders of the State Capital Management Committee at enterprises, economic groups, and relevant agencies.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh chaired a meeting on the electricity supply situation and the issue of coal and gas supply for electricity production.

Speaking at the meeting,Prime Minister Pham Minh ChinhIt is stated that electricity is one of the five major balances that must be ensured for rapid recovery and sustainable socio-economic development.

In recent times, along with the increasing demand following socio-economic growth; after shifting to safely adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic, recovering and developing the socio-economy, the demand for energy, specifically electricity in our country, is increasing. In addition, the supply situation and energy prices in the world have fluctuated.

Therefore, on December 24, 2021, the Prime Minister issued Official Dispatch No. 1813/CD-TTg on forecasting electricity demand, using electricity economically and efficiently; ensuring electricity supply in 2022 and the following years.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh frankly admitted that after 3 months of implementing Official Dispatch 1813/CD-TTg, the issues requested by the Prime Minister have not been resolutely implemented by relevant ministries, branches, agencies and units to achieve high efficiency.

The Prime Minister requested relevant ministries, branches, agencies and units to review their responsibilities in performing assigned tasks, their responsibilities towards the country and the people, for the common development goals of the country.

“The opinions are in the spirit of speaking frankly, truthfully, completely, objectively, honestly, constructively, receptively, without evasion, without blaming, clearly defining responsibilities... On that basis, propose solutions for implementation, bringing about efficiency, meeting the electricity requirements for rapid socio-economic recovery and sustainable development” - the Prime Minister emphasized.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh speaks at the meeting.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Ministers, representatives of ministries, branches and units discussed and made forecasts; proposed solutions to handle and overcome difficulties and challenges; proposed coordination between ministries, branches, agencies and units to ensure electricity for socio-economic development in the coming time.

According to the report, in the first quarter, EVN ensured electricity supply for the country's socio-economic development with electricity demand growing higher than planned, of which: Total electricity production and import output of the entire system in the first quarter of 2022 reached 62.85 billion kWh, up 7.5% over the same period in 2021 and 1.8 billion kWh higher than planned. The national maximum load capacity demand (Pmax) reached 40,144MW, up 5.94% over the same period in 2021.

Regarding the operation of the power system and the mobilization of power sources, because the mobilized coal-fired thermal power sources were 1.36 billion kWh lower than planned, and because the demand for electricity increased higher than planned, the mobilized hydropower and gas-fired power sources were 2.17 and 1.01 billion kWh higher than planned, respectively. The remaining power sources were mobilized based on the approved annual plan.

Calculating the balance of electricity supply and demand in 2022 according to the basic load scenario, the total electricity production and import output of the entire system in 2022 is expected to be 277.29 billion kWh, an increase of 8.73% compared to 2021. The high load scenario grows by ~12%. Through the balance calculation, it shows that: In the case of ensuring sufficient coal supply for power generation, the national electricity supply is basically guaranteed, even in the case of high load demand growth.

However, for the Northern region, there is a potential risk of peak capacity shortage during hot days in the North with a capacity shortage of about 1,300MW for the basic plan and up to 2,500MW for the high load plan./.