~ Le Viêt Nam, aujourd'hui. ~
The Vietnam News

[Year 1997]
[Year 1998]
[Year 1999]
[Year 2000]
[Year 2001]

Vietnam power surplus seen as demand growth slows

HANOI - Slowing power consumption growth in Vietnam coupled with earlier rains has eased a long-term power crunch in the country, officials said on Wednesday.
The communist-ruled state could be heading for a generating surplus and could sell electricity to neighbouring Cambodia, they said.

``At the beginning of the year (we) predicted that power demand in the first six months would increase by 12.5 percent, but it appears the actual growth was about 7-8 percent,'' said an official from the state monopoly Electricity of Vietnam (EVN).
He added that a general slowing of the Vietnamese economy was to blame.

In March, EVN estimated that in 1999 Vietnam would face a generating shortfall of up to 500 million kilowatt/hours, but the official told Reuters the actual figure would be less, or there might even be a small surplus.
Vietnam's economy is expected to grow three to four percent this year, down from 1998's official figure of 5.8 percent.

The EVN official said the rainy season, which arrived two weeks earlier than normal in mid-April, had brought good rainfall over the country and topped up hydropower reservoirs.
Some 63 percent of Vietnam's power comes from hydro sources. The rainy season in the country normally runs from May to October. Vietnam also sells small amounts of power to Laos.
The EVN official said generating capacity would increase later this year when the new Yali hydropower plant came onstream.

Vietnam's annual power generating capacity is estimated to be between 5,179 megawatts and 5,500 MW. Last year the country generated more than 17.7 billion kwh, down from 19.7 billion kwh in 1997, mainly due to water shortages at hydropower plants.
Domestic consumption ate up 41 percent of the power generated last year, industry 38.2 percent and agriculture 12.9 percent, official figures show.

Reuters - June 23, 1998.


Vietnam pressing ahead with massive power project

HANOI- Vietnam appointed a foreign consortium on Wednesday to upgrade plans to build a giant hydro-electric power plant in the country's north, signalling its intention to push ahead with the controversial project.

Planning and Investment Ministry officials said the consortium would review an existing feasibility study into the 3,600 megawatt plant to be built in remote Son La province.
They made the announcement at a ceremony to appoint the consortium, which includes the U.S.-based engineering company Harza, Sweco International from Sweden and accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Vincent Zipparro, vice president at Harza, said the consortium would upgrade the feasibility study so it could be presented to lending institutions in September.

``We are looking forward to assisting the government of Vietnam on this very important project. We will work hand-in-hand to move this project forward,'' Zipparro said.
The project has so far been shunned by multilateral agencies, partly because of the power plant's size and possible impact on local people and the environment.
Last year official media said 103,000 people would be relocated to build a reservoir for the plant.
No clear dates for construction of the project have been given, although if finished it would substantially add to Vietnam's current power generation capacity.
Other big power projects involving foreign investors have stalled because of disputes over pricing electricity and concerns about converting dong revenue into dollars. One senior Planning and Investment Ministry official said Hanoi was aware of the social and environmental issues.

Official media has said 70 percent of loans for the project would come from foreign sources and 30 percent from Vietnam.
Vietnam's annual power generating capacity is estimated to be between 5,179 megawatts and 5,500 MW. Hydro-generated electricity accounts for 63 percent of Vietnam's power supply.

Reuters - June 23, 1999.