Bình Điền reservoir in Thừa Thiên-Huế Province with water level lower than normal. Efforts are being made to ensure adequate electricity for this summer peak. — VNA/VNS Photo Đỗ Trưởng

HÀ NỘI — Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính on Thursday asked ministries and enterprises to ensure an adequate supply of electricity for production and business from now to May 25 as demand soars.

Chính stressed that the total capacity of the national power sources could fully meet the demand in the long term.

However, there could be some partial and local shortages from now to May 25 due to intense heat resulting in high demand for electricity. Drought has caused the amount of water in reservoirs of hydroelectricity plants to drop together with slow coal imports from Indonesia, meaning a shortfall in supply.

PM Chính asked the Vietnam National Coal – Mineral Industries Holding Corporation (TKV) and Đông Bắc Corporation to ensure an adequate supply of coal for domestic coal-fired power plants.

Plants that are using imported coal to produce electricity are urged to borrow or buy coal from other sources.

The PM also called for increased use of hydroelectricity.

The National Oil and Gas Group (PVN) must supply adequate gas and oil to gas and oil-fired power plants.

Negotiations must continue with wind and solar power plants that have come into operation and could immediately generate electricity for the national power grid.

At the meeting of the Ministry of Industry and Trade on Thursday, Trần Việt Hòa, director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority of Việt Nam, said that many solutions had been implemented to ensure the electricity supply for production and business.

Regarding the recent power shortage resulting in alternating power cuts, Hòa said that hydroelectricity and renewable energy were largely dependent on the weather. Currently, many hydropower reservoirs were lacking water, making it difficult for electricity generation.

The ministry in May asked relevant corporations to supply coal and gas for electricity generation and worked with wind and solar power plants for electricity supply.

To date, the provisional prices were agreed upon with eight solar and wind power plants, Hòa said.

Late last week, the Ministry of Industry and Trade worked with the Committee for Management of State Capital at Enterprises (CMSC), Việt Nam Electricity (EVN), PVN, TKV and Đông Bắc Corporation on solutions to ensure adequate power supply for the summer peak from May to July.

Minister Nguyễn Hồng Diên at the working session asked for priority to ensure coal and fuel for electricity generation.

According to EVN, the summer heat occurred early this year, pushing up the electricity consumption to new peaks.

On May 6, the national consumption capacity reached more than 43,300MW, an increase of about 6 per cent compared to the highest daily capacity of May 2022. — VNS