Delayed thermal plants blamed for power shortage

Tuoi Tre

Prolonged and frequent power outages this summer have sparked outrage among domestic and commercial users in Vietnam. Nguyen Manh Hien, former director of the Vietnam Institute of Energy, tells Tuoi Tre about the likely reasons for the power shortage.

As an energy expert, what do you think the reasons are?

I have heard a lot of excuses from the government at the National Assembly and on the media. I was not satisfied and neither is the public.

They always blame additional demand and water shortages during the dry season for power cuts every year. It has been going on for years.

When I was part of drafting power generation plans a couple of decades ago, it was forecast that Vietnam may need around 100 billion kilowatt hours by 2010, and it has turned out to be true now.

So what I mean is the issue was anticipated but why does the country always lack electricity in the dry season? The answer is coal-fired plants have failed to go on stream as scheduled.

Two plants in Hai Phong and Quang Ninh were supposed to be operational in 2008. Work started on both of them in 2004, and they are still being built.

I’ve never seen any thermal power station in the world take so long to complete. It usually takes three years at most.

If the two plants had been operational, they would have supplied 30 million kilowatt-hours daily.

I think the core of the problem is that no one can say why the two plants lag behind schedule.

Is that because of the high cost of building?

I don’t think so. I think we should reconsider the competence of the contractors. The capacity of the two plants is equivalent to the combined capacity of all thermal power stations in the north.

What do you think the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Electricity of Vietnam should do?

They should be honest. Power outages have occurred since 2005. It’s not because of a lack of money or planning.

They should ask the developers of the two plants to answer the question.

When do you think the power cuts would end?

If the two plants are operational this year, power shortages may not occur. And if other thermal plants in Thanh Hoa, Ha Tinh, and Quang Ninh are completed in the next few years, they will provide enough electricity.

Source: TuoiTre

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