Vietnam PM issues power shortage warning

HANOI: Vietnam faces power shortages in some areas through late this month as electricity use rises due to a heat wave, Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warned.

Chinh, in a meeting late Thursday, directed the state-owned coal miners to supply as much fuel as the power plants need, while Vietnam Oil and Gas Group should provide thermal power stations with enough gas and oil, according to a statement on the government’s website.

The premier asked state utility Vietnam Electricity Group to negotiate temporary purchase prices with investors of completed wind and power projects that are ready to link to national grid.

The ongoing drought has reduced water levels in hydropower reservoirs, raising the possibility of power shortage through May 25, Chinh said. 

Power plants using imported coals also face fuel shortages because of slow imports from Indonesia, requiring them to borrow fuel from other facilities.

Power-generating windmill turbines are pictured at a wind park in Bac Lieu province, Vietnam, on July 8, 2017. (File photo: Reuters)