Vietnam urges businesses, households to cut electricity use as consumption reaches year high
Workers work at the Pho Noi Power Station, a state utility owned by Electricity of Vietnam, in Hung Yen province, Vietnam on June 4, 2024.
PHOTO: Reuters
HANOI — The Vietnamese government has called on businesses and households to do more to save energy, with electricity consumption in the Southeast Asian country surging as a result of hot weather.
Electricity consumption hit its highest level of the year on Wednesday, reaching 1.1 billion kWh, state utility EVN said.
Coal-fired power plants account for 53.4 per cent of electricity output during peak hours, with hydropower plants accounting for 26 per cent.
A new heat wave is forecast to hit Vietnam in the last week of May, the government said on Thursday, putting pressure on the power grid.
Businesses and households in Vietnam, a manufacturing hub, have in previous years suffered from blackouts during heat waves.
EVN is seeking approval from the Ministry of Industry and Trade to raise its retail electricity price to absorb its accumulated losses, which stood at 5.6 trillion dong (S$271.7 million) at the end of last year, state media reported on Friday (May 15).
On Thursday, the Philippines also warned of power cuts of up to seven hours across its two main grids due to heat and power plant outages.
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