Director of the Electricity Regulatory Department under the Ministry ofIndustry and Trade’s (MoIT) Dang Huy Cuong has claimed that Vietnamwill not suffer from power shortages this year, the Vietnam InvestmentReview (VIR) reported.

He ensured with the VIR that enterprisesand the public will be supplied with sufficient electricity forproduction and living, adding that the MoIT had carefully calculatedpower demand and the power industry’s capacity this year.

“Fromnow until the end of the year, there will be additional 1,800-1,900megawatts supplied to the national grid, because many new power projectswill be put into operation,” Cuong was quoted as saying.

ThePleiku-My Phuoc- Cau Bong 550kV transmission line was integrated intothe national power grid earlier this month. Run by the Vietnam NationalPower Transmission Corporation, the line passes through five provinces:Gia Lai, Dak Lak and Dak Nong in the Central Highlands, and Binh Phuocand Binh Duong in the south.

“The operation of this line is veryimportant for transmitting power to the southern region which hasfrequently been hit by power shortages. It will also allow the import ofelectricity from Laos, and connect the power grids of Vietnam, Laos andCambodia after 2015,” said state-run Electricity of Vietnam’s (EVN)National Power Transmission Corporation’s Vice General Director TranQuoc Lam.

Last month, the second 42 megawatt turbine of Song Bac hydroelectricity plant in Ha Giang province was also put into operation.

Businesseshave continuously lodged complaints with the government and localauthorities in recent years, claiming that power cuts have had adetrimental effect on Vietnam’s investment climate.

Late lastmonth, Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai ordered the power industryto find ways to supply sufficient electricity for the public andenterprises this year, against a backdrop of a looming energy shortfall.

Haisaid construction of the 1.244MW Vinh Tan 2 thermal power plant in BinhThuan province, and Tra Vinh province’s 1.245MW Duyen Hai 1 and 1.200MWDuyen Hai 2 thermal power plants, and the 220 kV Dak Nong-PhuocLong-Binh Long transmission line running through Dak Nong and Binh Phuocprovinces must be accelerated.

EVN claimed the Vinh Tan 2, DuyenHai 1, 600MW Nghi Son 1 thermal power plant in Thanh Hoa province, and1,200MW Hai Phong 2 thermal power plant would be put into operation thisyear.

Some 5.8 billion USD would be invested by EVN intobuilding five new power projects with total capacity of 2,555MW,including Thai Binh, Vinh Tan 4, the expanded Duyen Hai 3 thermal powerproject, and the expanded Thac Mo and Da Nhim hydropower projects.

Accordingto the MoIT, in this year’s first four months, Vietnam produced nearly42 billion kWh, up 10.28 percent year-on-year. This would meet localpower demands, the ministry claimed.

In April, Vietnam produced11.42 billion kWh, up 12.83 percent year-on-year, with power forconstruction growing 12.37 percent, power for trade and hotels andrestaurants increasing 4.73 percent, and power for agro-forestry-aquaticproduction climbing 7.78 percent, against the same period last year.

Figuresfor April revealed that 35.6 percent of power was generated byhydropower projects, 34 percent by gas turbines, 27.7 percent bycoal-fired thermal power projects and the rest was from other sources.-VNA