Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Hanoi City, Nguyen Manh Quyen, has issued a directive to local agencies, localities, and the Hanoi Power Corporation regarding ensuring electricity supply for 2024 and beyond.

EVN Hanoi workers check the electricity grid. Photo: Hoai Nam/The Hanoi Times

Specifically, the Hanoi People's Committee requests relevant authorities to expedite the approval process for investment proposals, resolve difficulties and obstacles in land clearance compensation, negotiate architectural planning agreements, and implement the construction of key 500kV, 220kV, and 110kV power grid projects.

Quyen expects the city to continue attracting investment and streamlining administrative procedures by decisively cutting redundant administrative procedures and supporting investors in implementing power source and grid projects within the city according to the Power Development Plan VIII (PDP8).

The Hanoi Power Corporation would intensify efforts to raise awareness of efficient electricity use among customers and the public, thereby helping to ensure the stability of the electricity supply system. Additionally, they will continue agreements with customers to use backup power sources on-site during power shortages.

Agreements with customers on how to reduce electricity consumption during power shortages or to adjust production and business plans rationally to reduce electricity consumption will also be pursued.

Proactive arrangements for production plans and implementation of strategies to reduce electricity demand in line with the electricity supply capacity will be made.

Hanoi Power Corporation will actively implement Decision No.266/QD-UBND of the Hanoi Municipal People's Committee, approving the electricity supply plan in Hanoi for 2024. They will develop electricity supply scenarios to address the power supply shortage in 2024.

Power shortages in the northern region in late May and early June 2023 left many lessons for the energy sector.

Based on this experience, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has recently approved a plan to supply electricity during the peak dry season months (April, May, June, and July 2024). According to calculations by the Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN), the total electricity production and imports over the four summer months - the hottest period of the year - will exceed 109 billion kWh. Earlier, at the end of December 2023, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh instructed the electricity sector to expedite power source projects and critical grid infrastructure and to prepare contingency plans to avoid power shortages in 2024.

Calculations by the Ministry of Industry and Trade at the end of last year showed that under normal water flow conditions in the hydroelectric reservoirs, the national power system would have sufficient electricity. However, in extreme weather, the northern region could face a shortage of 420 MW - 1,770 MW during certain peak hours in June and July.

This year, Vietnam's electricity production and imports will exceed 306 billion kWh, with 52% in the rainy season and the rest in the dry season. EVN expects the power supply situation to remain challenging this year due to dependence on unpredictable weather patterns and an imbalance in supply and demand among regions.