On October 27, 1977, the Ministry of Industry and Trade held a meeting to review the power system operation in October 2017 and the plan to operate the power system and the competitive generation market in November – December 2017.
According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, the power generation and supply of the whole system in October 2017 has been adequately performed, sufficiently satisfying the electricity demand for production and daily life of the people.
Particularly, the total power production and import in October 2017 is estimated at 17.038 billion kWh; increasing by 7.77% over the same period in 2016.
In aggregation, the total electricity production and import of the whole system in the first 10 months of 2017 is estimated at 164.942 billion kWh; 8.13% higher than the same period of 2016.
Also in October 2017, the hydropower reservoirs in the North and the South generally had higher water inflows than the average level for many years; Many reservoirs had to spill water to secure the safety of structures or discharge water to ensure the water level constraints in line with inter - reservoir operation procedures. Specifically, during the first 25 days of October 2017, 51 out of 88 hydropower plants had to discharge.
The suspension of electricity market in October 2017 helped solve problems of the power system both in demand side (the load growth rate is lower than expected) and supply side (irregular hydrographical happenings, excessive inflow of water affecting the safety of reservoirs, requiring frequent interventions in the operation of hydropower plants).
At the meeting, the Ministry of Industry and Trade reviewed and assessed the operation plan of power system in the last two months of 2017. It is forecasted that the load growth rate in November and December 2017 will reach about 11.2% and 11.76% respectively over the same period in 2016.
According to the reservoir regulation procedures, November and December each year is the time of water storage for the next dry season. Water inflows in many reservoirs in the last two months of 2017 are expected to be lower than in the recent months, with less variable hydrographical conditions, requiring fewer interventions in the operation of hydropower plants as in October 2017. Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has set up an operation mode for the power system in November and December 2017, ensuring a safe and stable electricity supply in the last months of 2017.
Based on the above conditions, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has considered and decided to resume the operation of competitive generation market from November 1, 2017.