Vietnam calls on residents to save electricity amid power shortages

Staff members in Hanoi Electricity Department patrol on a local street to call on residents to save power

By Phong Lan
Dantri International 

HANOI: Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called on local people to save electricity amid power shortages that have resulted in massive power cuts.

In a directive released on Thursday, the Vietnamese government leader asked the country to save at least two percent of total energy consumption each year and strive to reduce power losses across the entire system to less than six percent by 2025.

He called on reducing the peak load capacity of the national power system by at least 1,500 MW by 2025 through the implementation of Demand-Side Management (DSM) and Demand Response (DR) programmes.

At least 50 percent of all office and residential buildings should use rooftop solar power by 2030.

By the end of 2025, all street lighting systems would use LED lights.

In order to achieve these goals, the PM ordered government agencies to coordinate with local power companies to develop electricity saving plans and implement electricity-saving regulations to reduce consumption by five percent a year.

Hanoi residents have to seek cool air under the trees or in lakeside areas during power outages

In terms of saving electricity in public lighting and lighting for advertising purposes and outdoor decoration, the PM wanted organisations and individuals to ensure savings of at least 30 percent in total electricity consumption during the 2023-2025 period.

Outdoor advertising and architects need to use energy-saving lamps, automatic controls and solar energy.

The PM also asked restaurants, hotels, commercial and service establishments, office and apartment buildings to turn off or halve outdoor advertising lighting capacity in the evening.

PM Chinh also called on households to only use air conditioners when absolutely necessary and switch off electrical devices when leaving the room.

Businesses are encouraged to voluntarily sign up to save electricity and use rooftop solar power and limit the use of high-wattage appliances during peak hours.

Facilities that consume one million kilo-watt hours (kWh) or more of electricity per year must conserve at least two percent, the directive said.

Many parts of the northern region have been suffering massive power outages over the past days while many hydropower plants have suspended power generation due to the shortage of water.

Tran Viet Hoa, director of the Electricity Regulatory Authority under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said supply in the north is equivalent to 17,500-17,900 MW while demand is about 20,000 MW and could reach 23,500-24,000 MW during hot days.

The region faces a daily shortfall of 30.9 million kWh on average, rising to 50.8 million kWh on peak days.