Coal-fired thermal power and the "challenge" of operation for over 7,000 hours/year

To ensure stable power supply for the country, EVN’s Chairman of Board Duong Quang Thanh requests every Coal-fired thermal power plant to ensure operation for more than 7,000 hours in 2020, in which over 4,000 hours of operation are performed during the dry season.

EVN requests its thermal power plants to reserve coal in warehouses with a quantity adequate for at least 10 days of operation.

Shortage of coal material

Based on the plan of power supply and operation of the national power system in 2020 approved by Ministry of Industry and Trade as well as calculations with the hydrological frequency of 65%, the power output produced by the whole system in 2020 is estimated at 261.45 billion kWh, an increase of about 9% compared to that of 2019. However, the actual level of water flowing to the hydropower plants is lower than the expected level with the frequency of 65%, hence EVN have to mobilize coal-fired and oil-fired thermal power sources. In fact, in nearly last 10 years, EVN has not operated all of its coal-fired thermal power plants at a time to meet the operation requirements equivalent to the maximum capacity (Tmax) of more than 7,000 hours/year. Therefore, this is a large responsibility with significant challenges for 12 coal-fired thermal power plants of EVN.

Ensuring coal supply for power generation is the first "hard problem" facing thermal power plants. Coal shortage is no longer a forecasting or a warning aspect, but a crucial reality, as the total coal demand for power generation in 2020 is calculated at 67 million tons, but the total coal output of Dong Bac Corporation and Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Group (TKV) is about 32-35 million tons only. Vietnam faces a shortage of more than 30 million tons of coal for power generation. Coal import is considered to be the only "exit", however, this is not an easy path.

According to EVN’s Engineering - Production Department, importing anthracite coal is particularly difficult since the output of this kind of coal only accounts for about 3% in the world market. Importing bituminous and sub-bituminous coal is "easier" thanks to the abundant supply.

In order to solve the difficulty in "input", EVN has directed its Power Generation Corporations and thermal power plants to purchase imported coal in form of international bidding with short-term and medium-term contracts, so that at a time, there have many suppliers of coal for power plants. In addition, the Group requests its units to proactively supply and import coal for power generation as planned for the dry season and the whole 2020; the reserved quantity of coal shall ensure operation for at least 10 days. EVN's units shall discuss and agree to sign long-term coal supply contracts with TKV and Dong Bac Corporation. Besides, the quality of coal is also an important factor. Actually, most of the coal supplied to EVN’s thermal power plants by TKV and Dong Bac Corporation, its partners, is the kind of mixed coal. Meanwhile, most of EVN's plants are designed to operate at standards of Anthracite coal. The change in material source quality causes problems to the units’ reliable operation. To solve this problem, EVN’s General Director Tran Dinh Nhan has directly worked with the Group’s partners TKV, Dong Bac Corporation, requesting them to ensure the standards of coal supply from the seller, striving towards the joint goal of ensuring the national energy security.

Engineers strictly following the disciplines of operation

Tightening disciplines of operation

In order to meet the requirement of more than 7,000 hours of operation (Tmax/year), thermal power plants shall ensure their units’ readiness with the availability coefficient of over 97%. However, in fact, the equipment of some power plants is old and the operation of equipment in some new plants is unstable. In order to "solve such difficulty", in 2019, EVN’s Deputy General Director Ngo Son Hai worked with each plant, inspected the actual operation and provided specific and appropriate instructions. The power plants are requested to focus on preventing incidents, particularly repeated ones and major ones which cause interruption in operation. The Group has directed each plant to promptly establish a calibration team, performing the task of supervising the regime and the operation situation; controlling the quality of input coal, thereby making prompt adjustments in power production, avoiding any incident.

All the power plants were allocated the schedule by the National Load Dispatch Center to perform major repair and maintenance and complete their repair and maintenance activities by the end of 2019. Many plants have actively implemented the solution of performing maintenance and repair activities based on the unit reliability (RCM – Reliability-Centered Maintenance), thereby reducing the time for repair, increasing the operation hours of the unit and the efficiency of power production.

In addition to the Group's efforts, EVN recommends the Committee for Management of State Capital at Enterprises and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to direct TKV and Dong Bac Corporation to strictly comply with the approved Coal supply chart, giving priority to supplying coal for power generation, at the same time, directing coal-fired thermal power plants not under EVN to develop plans to ensure material supply and be ready to meet the high demand for coal, together realizing the target of ensuring power supply for socio-economic development in 2020.


  • 09/04/2020 03:44
  • evn.com.vn
  • 2503