Power shortages will continue through June due to unfavorable weather conditions, which severely depleted the water supply of the country’s reservoirs. Meanwhile, Ministry of Industry and Trade said the power supply would improve as of June 20.
The prolonged drought, which began in April, has not allowed water levels to rise above the following levels: Thac Ba reservoir at 0.5 meter, Thac Mo at 0.75 meter, Tri An at 1.48 and Hoa Binh at 1.48 meter. Therefore, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) said it could not meet the demand for electricity, especially in the dry season, causing power cuts across the country.
EVN reported it supplied electricity an average of 267.9 million kWh per day in April, increased to 278 million kWh per day in May, even supplying over 300 million kWh some day, however even that failed to meet the demand.
Total power production reached more than 39 billion kWh in May, an increase 19.5 percent against the same period last year, EVN reported.
The rainy season begins in June, so water levels in reservoir will rise, said the Ministry.
The power shortage will last until middle of June, returning to normal as of June 20, said Dang Hoang An, deputy general director of EVN. However, EVN has to control power consumption in June, not outputting more than 275 million kWh of electricity per day to ensure safety for the electricity system.
Dinh The Phuc, deputy head of Electricity Regulatory Authority, asked EVN to develop a schedule for upcoming power outages that would minimize their effects on people’s lives.
