Right after
Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong stated in late February
that Vietnam may not have to apply rotating electricity cuts in the dry season,
the Electricity of Vietnam
began cutting electricity in early March.

The early electricity cuts

Over the
last week, since the new electricity prices have been applied, local residents
in Ha Long City in Quang Ninh province have “tasted” electricity cuts.

“There was
no announcement about the electricity cut. The Electricity of Vietnam did the
electricity cuts quietly. The cuts took place every day, in the morning on some
days and in the afternoon on other days,” said Nguyen Thi Hang in Yet Kieu
District of Ha Long City.

“I wonder
when the electricity cuts will finish. Will the electricity cuts take place as
regularly as in the previous year?” Hang questioned

“I remember
that in 2010, the electricity cuts only began in May, when it was getting hot.
Why has the Electricity of Vietnam decided to cut electricity so soon this
year?” she added.

Local
residents in Vu Ban District in Nam Dinh province also cannot understand why
the electricity was cut in this month. “The power was cut from 8 am to 12 pm
today. In general, power is cut for three or four hours a day,” Chien, a local
resident told VietNamNet’s Vietnam Economic Forum.

Chien said
that everyday the hamlet’s authorities announced through the public loudspeaker
the schedule for power cuts, but no one tells her why we need to cut power.
Sometimes the actual power cuts do not follow the schedules: the power was
still cut even though local residents were not informed in advance. “They cut
power the way they want,” Chien complained.

“It is
still cool and we still do not need electricity to run electric fan. Therefore,
the power cut has not affected us very much. However, business households are
suffering from power cuts. Rice husking workshops do not have power to run
machines, barber shops have to close the doors, offices cannot work,” she
added.

Meanwhile,
Thanh in Cam Xuyen hamlet in Bac Giang province, said that it is not a surprise
to him that the power is cut without any advance notice. He said that this
thing takes place so regularly and he has got used to this.

Additional charge low, but EVN still
needs to cut power?

On February
26, at a press conference, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc
Vuong asserted that Vietnam
may not have to cut power in the dry season. He said that the additional charge
turns out to be lower than the predicted level.

In the
press release sent by the Electricity of Vietnam EVN to press agencies on March
2, not a single word mentioned the rotating electricity cuts. Most recently, on
March 7, Duong Quang Thanh, Deputy General Director of EVN only said at a
conference that the water volume for hydropower plants is weak, but EVN will
ask power plants to increase the volume of electricity to supply the national
economy.

Nevertheless,
despite the promises, EVN still kicked off the “electricity cut season” on
March 1.

According
to the Northern Electricity Corporation, the electricity shortage in 2011 would
even be more serious than the previous year. This explains why in 2010, power
cuts only began in May, while in 2011, the electricity cut season has already
began.

The
corporation, which is in charge of providing electricity  to northern provinces, has predicted that the
27 provinces, except Hanoi, are forecasted to lack 9-12 percent, or 222-326
million KWH a month in the dry season. The figure is higher than the average
nationwide shortage of 3.2 percent.

Pham Huyen