Minister of Industry and Trade: By all means ensure fuel for electricity production

Faced with the risk of power shortages in the North in the summer, Mr. Nguyen Hong Dien requested that units do everything possible to avoid a shortage of coal and fuel for electricity production.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien recently chaired a meeting with the State Capital Management Committee at Enterprises, Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group (PVN), Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (TKV), and Dong Bac Corporation on the plan to supply electricity and operate the national power system during the peak hot months of 2023.

EVN leaders said that operating the power system during the peak hot months (May, June and July) will be very difficult, especially the Northern power system will face a situation of not being able to meet the peak load of the system with a capacity shortage of 1,600 MW to 4,900 MW.

Faced with this situation, the Minister of Industry and Trade requested units to seriously implement plans to supply electricity and coal for power generation. "By all means, there must not be a shortage of coal or fuel for power generation," said Mr. Dien.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien at a meeting on electricity supply plans during peak hot months on May 13. Photo: Moit — Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien at a meeting on electricity supply plans during peak hot months on May 13. Photo: *Moit*

Units in the industry must also proactively overcome objective causes due to the weather. The leaders of the Ministry of Industry and Trade will seriously consider and handle individuals and organizations that lack responsibility for causing power shortages due to subjective causes.

Regarding EVN, the Minister of Industry and Trade requested to focus all efforts so that the national power system must be ensured under any circumstances. The group was asked to urgently negotiate and mobilize power plants that are ready to generate electricity, including transitional renewable energy plants, to increase the capacity of the power system. At the same time, EVN also needs to speed up the purchase and sale of electricity with signed electricity import projects.

Regarding PVN and TKV, Mr. Dien requested close coordination with EVN and gas and coal suppliers for power plants according to the plan and signed contracts. At the same time, these units must also develop appropriate repair and maintenance plans, increase exploitation and import to avoid gas and coal shortages for power production.

Representatives of PVN, TKV and Dong Bac Corporation also committed to creating maximum conditions for supplying coal and gas to ensure electricity supply.

Previously, according to EVN, there was a risk of power shortage during the hot season, but sources such as hydropower, fuel supply (coal, gas) for electricity production or energy imports all faced difficulties. This year, hydrological developments are not as favorable as in 2022. Currently, water in hydropower reservoirs is poor, at 70-90% compared to the average of many years.

Regarding coal supply for electricity (domestic production and blending), the supply capacity of TKV and Dong Bac Corporation is 46 million tons, lower than the approved plan of 6 million tons. EVN's power plants alone lack 1.3 million tons of coal for operation. Purchasing coal to supplement the shortage is also difficult due to market restrictions and coal receiving infrastructure, so there has been a shortage of coal at the plants at some points.

Similar to gas, the ability to supply gas this year is still lower than previous years because some major mines are entering a period of decline. The expected output in 2023 is 5.6 billion m3 (of which Southeast gas is 4.3 billion m3 and Southwest gas is 1.3 billion m3), about 1.3 billion m3 lower than 2022. On the other hand, some gas mines have a long exploitation time and frequent incidents, so it is difficult to supply gas for electricity production.

Mr. Tu

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