EVN gears up to meet growing power supply for the dry season

Meeting needs

An EVN report shows that in the first two months, the electricity output and import of its whole system reached 57.29 billion kWh, an increase of 6.3 percent compared to the same period in 2019. Compared to the same period, hydroelectric output reached 8.93 billion kWh, down 30.4 percent, gas thermoelectricity reached 9.46 billion kWh, down 15.9 percent, coal thermoelectricity mobilized 33.91 billion kWh, up 21.3 percent, and oil thermoelectricity mobilized 1.02 billion kWh, up nearly 1 billion kWh. Renewable energy mobilized 2.76 billion kWh, of which solar power reached 2.31 billion kWh, an increase of 28 times over the same period in 2019. The total electricity output of EVN in the first quarter was estimated at 49.28 billion kWh, up 6.47 percent over the same period last year.

In general, in the first three months of the year, the management of electricity supply met all of the demand in the country and the region, ensuring power despite the decline of hydroelectric and gas sources but also providing safe and stable electricity to meet the needs for production, business and individual consumers. Moreover, the output increased power supply to hospitals, health facilities and isolation areas for the prevention of Covid-19 and also ensured the lowlands’ water supply and agricultural production.

In addition, EVN continues to implement key power source projects according to plan, such as the Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant expansion, Quang Trach I Thermal Power Plant, Ialy Hydropower Plant expansion, Tri An Hydropower Plant expansion, and Bac Ai Pumped Storage Hydropower Project. Regarding grid investment, in the first quarter, EVN and its member units started 18 projects and completed 22 110-500kV grid projects.

Ensuring safe supply

According to EVN’s calculations, the electricity demand in the dry months in the second quarter of 2020 is expected to rise 5.7 percent over the same period last year. With the system load capable of reaching 750 million kWh per day, the system’s highest capacity can reach 41,000MW.

EVN will not only make the most of coal thermoelectricity resouce and gas turbines according to the fuel supply capacity, and at the same time exploit hydroelectricity to ensure lowlands’ water supply, but will also mobilize oil-fired thermoelectricity according to the load’s mode and demand. Moreover, EVN requires units to ensure coal resources for thermoelectricity plants, especially those at the Vinh Tan and Duyen Hai power centers, to meet the mobilization needs of the system.

For the transmission and distribution system, EVN has required the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT) not only to strengthen its operation management to ensure the transmission line corridor, but also to operate the transmission grid safely and reliably in order to serve high transmission in the dry season, especially by the North-South 500kV transmission system.

In addition, EVNNPT is promoting demand management and load adjustment programs and encouraging power savings. Units have also prepared plans for natural disaster prevention and search and rescue operations to ensure the safety of dams, reservoirs and hydropower works in the 2020 rainy season.

Theo VEN