Mr. Vu Xuan Khu - Deputy Director of National Load Dispatch Center
Reporter: Dear Sir, some coal-fired thermal power plants are currently operating in limitation due to the coal supply capacity of their partners. Could you give us more details about the importance of this power source in our current power system?
Mr. Vu Xuan Khu: Coal-fired power has been playing and will continue to play its important role in ensuring the security of power supply.
Up to 20 November 2018, the total installed capacity of the national power system has been about 48,700MW, with about 41% of hydropower, about 37% of coal-fired thermal power, about 15% of gas turbine and about 7% of other sources.
For the power output of the whole system, from the beginning of the year up to now, it has reached about 195 billion kWh. In which, the output of coal-fired power plants has accounted for largest proportion with about 41%, followed by hydropower with about 39%, gas turbines with about 19% and other sources of about 2%.
It is expected that in 2019, the output of coal-fire thermal power will continue to increase, reaching about 114.4 billion kWh, accounting for 47.3% output of the whole system. Thus, the adequate supply of coal, as well as the stable operation of coal-fired thermal power plants plays a vital role in balancing the power source in 2019.
Reporter: Many hydropower reservoirs in the country are also in the state of drain water level. Water flow to the reservoir is lower than the average of many years and by this time, many reservoirs have not been yet stored up with water. Could you show us the influence of the situation in power supply situation, Sir?
Mr. Vu Xuan Khu: Hydropower is also a major source for the current power system. However, the flood season ended in the South, normally, it is now the main flood season over the same period of many years in the Central area, but at this time, many reservoirs have not been flooded, even some of them are approximately in dead water level.
This situation makes it difficult for hydropower reservoirs in the South and Central regions to store water at the normal water level. Up to now, the total volume of water stored in these reservoirs has been 8.5 billion m3, lower than that of the same period in 2017 by 4.2 billion m3, it means a shortage of about one-third over the year of 2017. Particularly, water level in many reservoirs has been at a very low level. It is forecasted that hydropower will be in lack of 1.2 billion kWh compared to that of 2017.
Such unfavourable hydrological conditions cause a great influence not only on power supply from now until the end of 2018 and the dry season in 2019 but also on water supply for downstream areas of hydropower plants following the process of inter-reservoir operation.
Reporter: Under such difficult conditions, what are solutions to be prepared by EVN/NLDC to ensure energy security?
Mr. Vu Xuan Khu: The power system has been operated under the pressure as the hydropower plants in the South and Central regions shall operate in limitation, while the coal supply for thermal power plants has not been completely performed as expected. These are two main sources of power, so the difficult situation will strongly affect the power balance and supply in this time, as well as in 2019.
EVN and NLDC will strengthen the operation management of power plants as well as the power transmission system for the most efficient power supply. At the same time, power distribution units shall enhance the propaganda on safe, economical and effective use of power to their customers.
The most ominous problem is the possibility of using oil-fired thermal power in the power system with a very expensive source, which will increase the cost in power generation for EVN. Water supply for downstream areas of the Central and Southern hydropower reservoirs could also be seriously affected by the large water shortage of hydropower reservoirs.
Reporter: Thank you so much, Sir!