During the fifteen last years, there has experienced a sharp increase in commercial electricity with a growth rate of up to 9.3% per year. It is envisaged that in the coming 10 years at the least, the power demand will grow by more or less 10%.
The objective of the National Energy Development Strategy of Vietnam up to 2020 with vision to 2050 is to secure sufficient energy for socio – economic development requirements. In particular, the energy demand will be approximately 100 - 110 million TOE by the year 2020 and 310 – 320 million TOE by 2050.
"Vietnam Energy Forum – now and future” attracted a lot of attendees.
Vietnam has faced a lot of challenges, for example the power demand has been critically increasing whereas environmental requirements have been more and more stringent and severe. This challenge exerts pressure on the national energy security on one hand and on the economy on the other hand in mobilizing adequate capital resources for the energy sector.
With a view to energy security, Vietnam has been transforming from an energy export country to an energy import one. It is projected that Vietnam will import 17 million tons of coal, or 31% of the total coal production to meet the power generation requirement by the year 2020, and this situation will be increasingly intensified in the subsequent years.
Towards a low carbon economy by changing production models and sustainable energy consumption, Vietnam has been gradually shifting to clean, renewable energy sources.
EVN’s Vice President Nguyen Tai Anh delivered his speech at Vietnam Energy Forum
At the Forum, one of the issues attracting vigorous concerns and discussions is if coal fired thermal power plants should be developed further. According to Mr. Hoang Quoc Vuong, Vice Minister of Industry and Trade, in the current circumstance of the country, further development of coal fired thermal generation plants does not matter, but the matter is how to both develop coal fired thermal power plants in order to meet energy demands and do not harm the environment.
Sharing the same opinion, EVN’s Vice President Mr. Nguyen Tai Anh stated that in the context that hydropower generation sources have been fully exploited, nuclear power development has been halted, renewable energy sources despite their great potential will represent a small proportion in the generation mix and gas sources are depleted, coal fired thermal power plants maintain to be an important generation source of the country in the coming years.
“The main point is to develop coal fired thermal power plants together with the use of modern, advanced technologies, and super critical technologies in particular. EVN has been step by step putting these technologies into reality in our coal fired thermal power plants” – said Mr. Nguyen Tai Anh.
Another issue of interest is energy price and power tariff. According to Associate Professor and Doctor Tran Dinh Thien – Vietnam Institute of Economics, the current energy price and power tariff are yet to be market prices, which causes a “distorted” supply – demand balance”.
“Low power tariff encourages only power consumption but not power production and investment attraction. This is a problem that needs to be solved by different solutions” – affirmed Mr. Tran Dinh Thien.
Mr. Thien stated that in the future Vietnam should consider developing the energy development strategy in a comprehensive approach together with the economic development strategy to meet both supply and demand requirements.
Vietnam Energy Forum – now and future is an opportunity for the State management bodies, research institutes, associations, enterprises, experts in the energy sector to discuss Vietnam energy development strategy up to 2020 with vision to 2050 with the aim of preserving energy resources, protecting the environment, combating and responding to the climate change, at the same time contributing to the national energy security, to the socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development of the country.