QUẢNG NINH — Two of four generators at the Quảng Ninh Thermal Power Plant have halted operations since last week due to lack of coal, the plant’s representative told online newspaper dantri.com.vn.

The Electricity of Việt Nam (EVN) recently informed the Ministry of Industry and Trade about the severe shortage of coal supply for thermal power plants in northern Quảng Ninh Province and Hải Phòng City.

According to EVN, the Đông Bắc Corporation and the Việt Nam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) pledged to supply coal for the thermal power plants in a recent meeting.

However, so far, the amount of coal supplied was much lower than the plants’ demands.

In recent days, the supply shortage has become severe because the plants’ stocks of coal are running out.

The Quảng Ninh Thermal Power Plant had only 8,800 tonnes of coal, which was not enough for one day of operation. The Hải Phòng Thermal Power had 66,785 tonnes of coal left, which could be used for five days of operation, the paper said.

“The plant’s two generators had to stop operating for a week due to a shortage of coal, which caused a loss of 10 million kWh per day,” said a representative of the Quảng Ninh Thermal Power Company – the plant’s investor.

To operate all four generators with a total capacity of 1,200MW for the rest of the year, he said the plant needed 600,000 tonnes of coal.

The Quảng Ninh Thermal Power Plant suffered big financial losses in the third quarter of this year.

In the period, the plant had VNĐ1.5 trillion (US$64.5 million) of turnover, marking a decrease of 15 per cent as compared to the same period last year. It suffered a loss of VNĐ311.4 billion ($13.3 million). 

The main reason was low output, a reduction of electricity price and the high cost of electricity production.

Changes in foreign exchange rates made the plant suffer more losses.

The total short- and long-term debts were more than VNĐ8 trillion ($433.4 million), accounting for 58 per cent of the plant’s assets. — VNS