Vietnam lacks a million tons of coal for power production
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Thermal power plants in northern Vietnam are short of over one million tons of coal for power production for this and next month, which could intensify electricity shortage in the region.
Vietnam’s main coal suppliers Vinacomin and Dong Bac Corp were obliged to provide 4.39 million tons to utility firm Vietnam Electricity (EVN) for power production in June and July, but so far they are 1.64 million tons short.
Since a unit of EVN has been able to purchase 600,000 tons from other sources, the amount of coal needed for EVN to operate its thermal power plants is 600,000 tons this month and 400,000 next.
This amount is even more necessary since hydropower plants in the north are at record low water levels, which means thermal power plants will need to run at full capacity, EVN CEO Tran Dinh Nhat said at a meeting on June 12.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently said that five major hydropower plants in the north were shut down this month, creating a shortage of 5,000 megawatts of power for northern Vietnam.
Water levels will likely remain low in the next 10 days, according to weather forecasts.
Load shedding has been frequent in different northern areas in the last several weeks, disrupting daily life and manufacturing.
Questions & Answers
Q.Which companies are responsible for supplying coal to Vietnam’s power plants?
Which companies are responsible for supplying coal to Vietnam’s power plants?
Vietnam’s main coal suppliers are Vinacomin and Dong Bac Corp. They were contracted to provide coal to the utility firm Vietnam Electricity (EVN) for power production in June and July.
Q.Why is the current coal shortage particularly problematic for northern Vietnam?
Why is the current coal shortage particularly problematic for northern Vietnam?
The shortage is critical because hydropower plants in the north are operating at record low water levels. This means thermal power plants must run at full capacity to meet electricity demand.
Q.What impact has the power shortage had on daily life and industry in the northern regions?
What impact has the power shortage had on daily life and industry in the northern regions?
Frequent load shedding has occurred across different northern areas in recent weeks. This has disrupted both daily life for residents and manufacturing operations in the region.
Q.What is the total amount of coal EVN needs to secure for this and next month?
What is the total amount of coal EVN needs to secure for this and next month?
EVN needs to secure a total of 1 million tons of coal. This includes 600,000 tons for this month and an additional 400,000 tons for the next month.
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