The Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) has bought 8.98 billion kWh of power from abroad during the past two months, to ensure adequate supply within the country.

The figure has risen on a yearly basis by 28.89 percent. Some 956 million kWh of power was bought from China.

According to EVN, the power consumption increased to nearly 15.8 billion kWh in the first two months, a 13.5 percent rise over the same period last year.

Power used in industry and construction sectors soared by 21.41 percent, while that used for management and daily consumption increased by 8.54 percent.

EVN has warned that the dry season months might see a severe shortage of power, while demand for additional power supplies will increase in industry and construction sectors.

The volume of water in reservoirs was presently 189 million cubic meters lower than the average annual level.

The water volume in some hydroelectric reservoirs, including Tuyen Quang, Ialy, Dai Niny, Tri An and Thac Mo, accounted for only 80-98 percent of the capacity in the reservoirs.

The water level at Hoa Binh, Tuyen Quang, Tri An and Ialy reservoirs was close to touching the critical mark by only 4-10 meters.

Furthermore, some thermoelectric machines have ceased operating due to technical breakdowns, causing a reduction in power generation.

EVN has calculated that its system will supply 294.8 million kWh of power per day in March, the largest capacity being 15,500-16,100 MW. Such output will only lead to the national power system facing an imbalance.

Therefore, EVN has asked electricity plants to mobilize power properly and thermoelectricity plants to run at full capacity and be prepared to rapidly fix broken machines.

There was a shortfall of 1 billion kWh last year and it is predicted to rise to 3 billion-4 billion kWh this year.

Source: SGGP