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Industries urged to conserve power
Industrial companies must save energy to maintain production and reduce the number of power outages, according to the National Consultancy Centre on Effective Energy Conservation.
Officials of the centre said industries that consume large amounts of electricity must conserve energy.
The centre said the cement industry, for example, was capable of saving up to 50 per cent in energy usage, the textile and garment industry 25 per cent, and the food processing sector 20 per cent.
Economic experts said that many foreign joint-ventures, privately owned enterprises and joint-stock companies have saved energy usage to reduce electricity bills.
HCM City's Majestic Hotel has saved 72 per cent in energy usage for lighting and Victory Hotel, 65 per cent for lights and air conditioners.
The Binh Tien Footwear Company has conserved 62,820 kWh a year by replacing lighting systems with energy-efficient lamps.
Electricity officials said that most high energy-consuming industries are not aware of energy-saving technology.
With efforts to replace obsolete technology and equipment, the steel industry could save up to 20 per cent of energy used in production, the centre said.
By applying power-saving technology, private businesses and companies could save up to several hundreds of million VN dong a year.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said the industrial sector had contributed to great energy losses.
To earn one US dollar for GDP growth, Vietnam consumes more than 1kWh of electricity while Korea uses only 0.52 kWh and Malaysia 0.7 kWK.
Scientists have called on State-owned enterprises to launch innovations and apply advanced methods to conserve energy.
Industries such as cement, paper and food processing need to further co-operate in energy conservation programmes to reduce public spending on energy.
Mai To Nga, deputy director of HCM City's Energy Conservation Centre, said companies, especially State-owned enterprises, needed to establish a division to closely monitor power use to meet the State's call for cost reductions to fight inflation.
She also proposed that the Government invest in new machines and equipment in small- and medium-sized enterprises to minimise power losses.
Pham Chi Lan, an economic expert, said Vietnam had been promoting investment in electricity plants, hydro-electric plants and hastening operation of thermo-electric plants under construction in the northern and southern provinces to ensure energy supply.
VNS
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