Efforts to bring national grid electricity to rural, mountainous, and island areas
Bringing electricity to mountainous rural areas and islands is a policy that receives special attention from the Party and the Government, creating an important development step in the electrification process. In recent times, Vietnam's rural, mountainous, and island electricity supply program has contributed not only to hunger eradication and poverty reduction but also to sustainable development for rural, mountainous, and island areas.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT), in the period 2016 - 2020, central budget capital mobilization for the program is VND 4,743 billion along with counterpart capital from investors. The program has achieved encouraging results: 17/17 communes were supplied with power, reaching 100% of the plan; Supplied power to the islands: Ly Son (Quang Ngai), Bach Long Vy (Hai Phong), Nhon Chau (Binh Dinh), Cu Lao Cham (Quang Nam), Tran and Cai Chien islands (Quang Ninh). The number of households supplied with power from sources in the recent period was 204,737/1,076,000, reaching 19% in 3,079 villages and hamlets of 1,107 communes.
In rural areas, the proportion of households using electricity, as of December 31, 2019, reached 99.26%; Only about 0.74% of rural households haven’t been supplied with power. By the end of 2023, 100% of communes across the country were supplied with power, and the number of rural households using electricity reached 99.6%.
According to a report by Vietnam Electricity (EVN), currently, Vietnam's electricity coverage level is higher than that of some countries in the region. EVN has supplied power to 100% of the communes of Vietnam. The number of households having access to and using electricity increased from 97.31%, equivalent to 19 million households (in 2010) to 99.47%, equivalent to 27.41 million households (in June 2019). In particular, the number of rural households having access to electricity increased from 96.29%, equivalent to 13.26 million households (in 2010) to 99.18%, equivalent to 16.98 million households (in June 2019).
It can be said that Vietnam has succeeded in supplying power to rural households, remote areas, border areas, and islands.
Bringing national grid electricity to rural areas strongly promotes the building of new rural areas in localities.
Arrival of electricity changed the appearance of the village
Son La province has made the task of supplying power for rural areas a key task and a major socio-economic indicator for the 2016-2020 period. By 2020, the rural power supply project from the national power grid of Son La province has invested in new supply for 16,528 households; and upgraded safe electricity for 1,012 households; increasing the proportion of households using electricity in the area from 86.7% in 2015 to 97.5% in 2020.
These results have greatly contributed to the 5.46% economic growth of Son La province in the period 2016-2020, of which 6.08% in 2020 alone, ranked 3rd out of 14 provinces and cities in the Northern midland and mountainous regions and 12th of the whole country.
In Lang Son province, in recent years, with many different capital sources, Lang Son electricity industry has focused on investing in power projects, of which, notably, projects of power supply for rural areas from the national grid. Currently, in the province, 100% of communes have been supplied with power; The number of villages supplied with power is 1,662/1,662, reaching 100%. The number of households supplied with power in the whole province is 202,600/203,134 households, reaching a percentage of 99.74%, of which the percentage of rural households using electricity from the national grid is 99.65%; The number of rural households not yet supplied with power is 530 households, equal to 0.35%.
Bringing national grid electricity to rural areas has strongly promoted the building of new rural areas in the locality. As of December 31, 2023, across Lang Son province, there are 154/181 communes meeting criterion 4 for new rural areas with electricity by 85%, an increase of 32 communes compared to 2022’s, the remaining 27 communes have not met criterion 4. (of which only 02 communes met criteria 4.1; only 24 communes met criteria 4.2 and 01 commune have not met both criteria).
In 2023, a total of 10/10 communes as per the province's new rural building plan have been completed and 5 communes with advanced new rural construction building have all met criterion 4, advanced criterion 4 on electricity.