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EVN begins rotating electricity cuts, quietly
Right after Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong stated in late February that Vietnam may not have to apply rotating electricity cuts in the dry season, the Electricity of Vietnam began cutting electricity in early March.
The early electricity cuts
Over the last week, since the new electricity prices have been applied, local residents in Ha Long City in Quang Ninh province have “tasted” electricity cuts.
“There was no announcement about the electricity cut. The Electricity of Vietnam did the electricity cuts quietly. The cuts took place every day, in the morning on some days and in the afternoon on other days,” said Nguyen Thi Hang in Yet Kieu District of Ha Long City.
“I wonder when the electricity cuts will finish. Will the electricity cuts take place as regularly as in the previous year?” Hang questioned
“I remember that in 2010, the electricity cuts only began in May, when it was getting hot. Why has the Electricity of Vietnam decided to cut electricity so soon this year?” she added.
Local residents in Vu Ban District in Nam Dinh province also cannot understand why the electricity was cut in this month. “The power was cut from 8 am to 12 pm today. In general, power is cut for three or four hours a day,” Chien, a local resident told VietNamNet’s Vietnam Economic Forum.
Chien said that everyday the hamlet’s authorities announced through the public loudspeaker the schedule for power cuts, but no one tells her why we need to cut power. Sometimes the actual power cuts do not follow the schedules: The power was still cut even though local residents were not informed in advance. “They cut power the way they want,” Chien complained.
“It is still cool and we still do not need electricity to run electric fan. Therefore, the power cut has not affected us very much. However, business households are suffering from power cuts. Rice husking workshops do not have power to run machines, barber shops have to close the doors, offices cannot work,” she added.
Meanwhile, Thanh in Cam Xuyen hamlet in Bac Giang province, said that it is not a surprise to him that the power is cut without any advance notice. He said that this thing takes place so regularly and he has got used to this.
Additional charge low, but EVN still needs to cut power?
On February 26, at a press conference, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Hoang Quoc Vuong asserted that Vietnam may not have to cut power in the dry season. He said that the additional charge turns out to be lower than the predicted level.
In the press release sent by the Electricity of Vietnam EVN to press agencies on March 2, not a single word mentioned the rotating electricity cuts. Most recently, on March 7, Duong Quang Thanh, Deputy General Director of EVN only said at a conference that the water volume for hydropower plants is weak, but EVN will ask power plants to increase the volume of electricity to supply the national economy.
Nevertheless, despite the promises, EVN still kicked off the “electricity cut season” on March 1.
According to the Northern Electricity Corporation, the electricity shortage in 2011 would even be more serious than the previous year. This explains why in 2010, power cuts only began in May, while in 2011, the electricity cut season has already began.
The corporation, which is in charge of providing electricity to northern provinces, has predicted that the 27 provinces, except Hanoi, are forecasted to lack 9-12 percent, or 222-326 million KWH a month in the dry season. The figure is higher than the average nationwide shortage of 3.2 percent.
Pham Huyen
SGGP
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