Expert calls for strong shift to thermo-power supply

HCMC – Vietnam needs to make a drastic shift to thermo-power generation and lessen its reliance on hydro-power sources if the country is to avoid widespread outage in the dry season, said an industry expert.

Tran Viet Ngai, chairman of the Vietnam Energy Association (VEA), told the Daily on the phone on Monday that the nation’s structure of power supply still posed a danger for the economy as hydroelectric stations were still responsible for over 60% of total power output.

To ensure energy security for the country in the coming years, power generation restructuring is imperative, he told the Daily after the commencement of the thermo-power plant Duyen Hai 1 in Tra Vinh Province on Sunday.

“Hydroelectric plants around the country are much dependent on weather. Vietnam has been warned of climate change impacts, so I think rainfalls will decline in the coming years, and drought will last longer,” said Ngai.

Ngai commented that the Government had become aware of the situation and has therefore supplemented 13 thermoelectric projects with total output of 13,800MW into the Sixth National Master Power Development Plan. This added output is nearly equivalent to the current total power supply of the country.

Under the assignment of the Government, Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) will build four thermoelectric plants, PetroVietnam another four plants, and Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) three plants between now and 2015.   

Until now, only EVN has started work on two projects, while the other investors have not made a move, Ngai said.

EVN on Sunday started work on Duyen Hai 1 thermoelectric project in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh with a designed output of 1,245MW at a cost of VND19.2 trillion, or some US$1.5 billion. The group last month also started construction of Vinh Tan 2 thermoelectric plant in Binh Thuan Province with the same capacity.

These two thermoelectric plants are expected to supply power to the national grid from the middle of 2014. It is not known when EVN will commence work on the two remaining projects, Mong Duong 1 and Duyen Hai 3.

“If the Government does not urge investors to quickly start construction of these 13 thermoelectric plants for completion by 2015, the country will struggle with more severe power shortages,” he said.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, power shortage occurs regularly from April to August when the rainy season is about to begin. The situation earlier this year was particularly critical as the long drought badly affected operations of hydropower plants in northern provinces.

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Power plants create opportunities

Phu My Power Plant No3 is part of the Phu My Industrial Zone 1. The industrial zone located in Ba Ria-Vung Tau Province consists of five power plants with a combined capacity of up to 3,900 MW. — VNA/VNS Photo Ha Thai

HA NOI — Viet Nam will have a large market for domestic equipment manufacturing with the planned development of 70 coal-fired power plants within the next 15 years, according to mechanical engineering experts.

Under the national electricity development plan for 2006-15, more than 40 coal-fired power plants with capacity of 600MW or more will be constructed in the country.

Between 2015-25, another 30 coal-fired power plants will begin producing power. With this considerable development, demand for coal-fired power plant devices from now to 2025 will increase.

On December 26, 2002, the Prime Minister approved a development strategy for Viet Nam's mechanical engineering industry with the priority goal of developing key mechanical products.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Do Huu Hao said the domestic mechanical engineering industry has seen significant growth in equipment manufacturing for thermal power, reaching capacity of 600MW.

Vietnamese and foreign experts have done all the basic designs for the industry.

Domestic businesses, such as the Corporation for Industrial Machinery and Equipment and Viet Nam Engine Agricultural Machinery Corporation, have made a number of important devices such as engines, gear boxes and fan pumps.

The domestic mechanical engineering industry has built around 50 to 70 per cent of the country's standard equipment needs, such as lifting buckets, conveyor belts, storage devices and dust filtration equipment.

Although Vietnamese enterprises have the capacity to produce a significant portion of the equipment needed for coal-fired power plants, generally only 40 per cent of the equipment used by the coal-fired power projects that are under construction are from domestic enterprises, accounting for only 25 per cent of the total value.

If domestic enterprises do not develop, they will fail to take advantage of a great opportunity.

Ngo Van Tru, deputy director of the Department of Heavy Industry under the Ministry of Industry and Trade said domestic firms without an understanding of design would not be able to contribute anything. Domestic firms need time to study in order to participate in power plant design.

Director of the Centre for Design and Machinery Manufacturing Technology under the Ministry of Industry and Trade Hoang Van Got outlined some local production schemes and added that rather than becoming sub-contractors for foreign contractors, domestic firms should plan to work with foreign partners to design and manufacture boilers.

Domestic firms could also manufacture the auxiliary devices for turbine generators with support from foreign consultants. This plan could lead to domestic production of 40 per cent of project value, he said.

He also proposed measures to assign domestic joint venture companies as Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) contractors to ensure active implementation of Build and Transfer Technology plans.

Engineering enterprises have also proposed an increase in domestic production of supplies for thermal power plants in Viet Nam.

Incentives should be offered by including required conditions in international bidding and encouraging the establishment of centres for mechanical equipment manufacturing. — VNS

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Power projects hit by drought

Many small and medium hydropower plants in the Central Highlands do not have enough water to operate efficiently although the rainy season is about to end.

Most hydroelectric companies in Dak Lak complain production has reached only about half of their targets because of the drought-like weather conditions.

Some small plants had to shut down temporarily to accumulate enough water, they said.

There are four hydropower plants on the Serepok River - the Buon Tu Srah Hydropower Plant with a 520 million cubic metres reservoir in Lak District; the Buon Kuop Hydropower Plant in Dak Lak Province's Krong No District; Dray H'Linh, Serepok 3 Plants in Dak Nong Province's Cu Dut District and Serepok 4 in Buon Don District, Dak Lak.

Tran Van Khanh, director of the Buon Kuop Hydropower Company which operates the Buon Tu Srah and Serepok 3 plants, said the extended drought resulted in record low water levels in the Serepok River. He said the Buon Tu Srah Dam, whose reservoir can hold 520 million cu.m of water, had just around 60 million cu.m water.

This was the lowest since the plant was inaugurated in September 2009. Inadequate water in the Buon Tu Srah Reservoir has caused downstream hydropower plants to operate perfunctorily because upstream reservoirs have to accumulate water, he said.

Khanh said the State had assigned his company to provide 1.28 billion kWh of power this year, but it has only been able to produce 480 million kWh, about 38 percent of the year's plan.

"Compared with the same time last year, this is a record low water level. The rainy season in the Central Highlands often ends in November, but there is not enough water to operate the plants even now. With this situation, I am afraid the company will not reach 50 percent of the target," Khanh said.

An official who works at the Buon Tu Srah Reservoir said last Friday that the dam could not accumulate enough water and the plant had to stay idle at daytime.

The Krong No River in Dak Nong Province is no longer fierce and deep as it used to be, and a drop of several dozen meters in water levels in the dam is clearly visible.

Ho Van Bay, deputy secretary of Duc Xuyen Commune's People's Committee, said water levels in streams that linked to the Krong No River were so low that people could walk to the other side.

Nguyen Van Than, director of the Dak Lak Electricity Company, predicted that the situation would worsen in the coming months.

Water levels at the Ialy Hydropower Plant on the Se San River in Gia Lai and Kon Tum Provinces have also been reported at critically low levels and output capacity of the dam is said to be at 50 percent.

Ta Van Luan, director of Ialy Hydropower Company, said the company's production in the first eight months of this year has reached 50 percent of that assigned by the Vietnam Electricity Corporation.

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Power projects hit by drought

DAK LAK — Many small and medium hydropower plants in the Central Highlands do not have enough water to operate efficiently although the rainy season is about to end.

Most hydroelectric companies in Dak Lak complain production has reached only about half of their targets because of the drought-like weather conditions.

Some small plants had to shut down temporarily to accumulate enough water, they said.

There are four hydropower plants on the Serepok River - the Buon Tu Srah Hydropower Plant with a 520 million cubic metres reservoir in Lak District; the Buon Kuop Hydropower Plant in Dak Lak Province's Krong No District; Dray H'Linh, Serepok 3 Plants in Dak Nong Province's Cu Dut District and Serepok 4 in Buon Don District, Dak Lak.

Tran Van Khanh, director of the Buon Kuop Hydropower Company which operates the Buon Tu Srah and Serepok 3 plants, said the extended drought resulted in record low water levels in the Serepok River. He said the Buon Tu Srah Dam, whose reservoir can hold 520 million cu.m of water, had just around 60 million cu.m water.

This was the lowest since the plant was inaugurated in September 2009. Inadequate water in the Buon Tu Srah Reservoir has caused downstream hydropower plants to operate perfunctorily because upstream reservoirs have to accumulate water, he said.

Khanh said the State had assigned his company to provide 1.28 billion kWh of power this year, but it has only been able to produce 480 million kWh, about 38 per cent of the year's plan.

"Compared with the same time last year, this is a record low water level. The rainy season in the Central Highlands often ends in November, but there is not enough water to operate the plants even now. With this situation, I am afraid the company will not reach 50 per cent of the target," Khanh said.

An official who works at the Buon Tu Srah Reservoir said last Friday that the dam could not accumulate enough water and the plant had to stay idle at daytime.

The Krong No River in Dak Nong Province is no longer fierce and deep as it used to be, and a drop of several dozen meters in water levels in the dam is clearly visible.

Ho Van Bay, deputy secretary of Duc Xuyen Commune's People's Committee, said water levels in streams that linked to the Krong No River were so low that people could walk to the other side.

Nguyen Van Than, director of the Dak Lak Electricity Company, predicted that the situation would worsen in the coming months.

Water levels at the Ialy Hydropower Plant on the Se San River in Gia Lai and Kon Tum Provinces have also been reported at critically low levels and output capacity of the dam is said to be at 50 per cent.

Ta Van Luan, director of Ialy Hydropower Company, said the company's production in the first eight months of this year has reached 50 per cent of that assigned by the Viet Nam Electricity Corporation. — VNS

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