Vietnam's electricity Access index in 2017 increases by 32 grades

According to the Business Environment Report prepared by the Doing Business - World Bank (WB) released on 1st November 2017, Vietnam's electricity Access index index reached 78.69/100 points, an impressive breakthrough to the rank of 64/190 countries/economies as surveyed.

The WB recognized the great stride

The Doing Business – WB approach access to power index based on four factors: The number of procedures; implementation time (days); cost (% of income per capita); power supply reliability and transparency of electricity prices.

Accordingly, the number of procedures in Vietnam now is 5 procedures; the implementation time is 46 days, this time has come very close to that of the ASEAN 4 group. The cost factor is still high in Vietnam due to low income per capita.

In terms of power supply reliability and price transparency, Vietnam reached 6/8 points, increasing 3 points compared with that of 2016 (3/8 points). This factor has been significantly improved in 2017, as recognized by the WB on EVN's reforms in power supplying with reliable, stable and transparent services.

The results is the index in 2017 even higher than that of some developed countries such as China (ranked 98/190), Canada (105), Mexico (92), Israel (77), Hungary (110), Romania (147), Ukraine (128), etc.

The 2017 Business environment report also shows that this is the 4^th year in a row that the Index of Vietnam has been improved and the most impressive year since 2013. In addition, Vietnam is also the economy with the most improved access to electricity index in the ASEAN region.

With this result, the index has reached and exceeded the ranking requirement in Resolution No. 19-2017/NQ-CP dated February 6^th 2017 by the Government on the continued implementing of main tasks and solutions to improve the business environment, enhancing the national competitiveness in 2017 and orienting to 2020 (with the target of 70^th ranking in 2017).

According to the WB, the Index is one of the five indicators that positively changed, helping the overall rating of the Vietnamese economy to increase by 14 grades in business environment compared to 2016’s, reaching the rank of 68/190.

The efforts of the Power Sector

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Dung - Head of EVN Business Department said: In the past, the Corporation has drastically and synchronously implemented solutions to improve the Index.

Particularly, EVN has developed a power access procedure thoroughly applied by units in business and customer services under the principle of "3 easy ones": Easy access - Easy participating - Easy monitoring.

Especially, the Corporation has pushed up the application of information technology, received requests for medium voltage supply of customers through the website, customer care center, deployed online progress monitoring software, etc.

EVN also has actively publicly announced power prices in a public and transparent way; improves power quality and reliability of power supply indicators such as MAIFI, SAIDI, SAIFI.

EVN also has actively coordinated with State management agencies and local authorities to create a “connected one-stop-shop” mechanism to help customers easily access the power.

In the coming time, the Power Sector will continue to improve service quality, supply power stably and reliably, contributing to improving the competitiveness of the national economy.

Vietnam's Electricity Access Index according to the Doing Business report from 2013 to 2017: