Electricity imports from Laos and China accounted for just a modest part of the total electricity demand of Vietnam, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Dang Hoang An.
An made the statement in response to National Assembly deputies’ question about why Vietnam had not connected domestic renewable energy projects with a total capacity of 4,600 MW to the national power grid but increased imports from Laos and China.
NA deputy Ta Thi Yen said at a meeting late last week that while the negotiations of pricing to connect renewable energy projects to the national power grid faced roadblocks, Vietnam was forced to increase the import from Laos and China to make up for the shortage. This was a huge waste when hundreds of solar and wind power energy projects could not generate power for consumption while the economy was facing a severe shortage of electricity, she said.
In response, An said that Vietnam imported electricity not because of the shortage. The country has been buying from China since 2005 via transmission lines in Lao Cai and Ha Giang provinces and from Laos, mostly hydroelectricity, following an intergovernmental cooperation agreement in 2019.
The electricity import from Laos was around 7 million kWh per day and 4 million kWh from China, very modest compared to the daily consumption demand, estimated at around 445-450 million kWh in the northern region.
An said that the purchase was under cooperation agreements with countries in the Greater Mekong sub-region, which would enable the connection of the power grid with other countries in the region. In addition, the electricity master plan No 8 also set out the target of exporting renewable energy to neighbouring countries.
Vietnam had 220 kV line linking with Laos and 110 kV with China. Under the commitments with Laos, Vietnam would import at least 3,000 MW from this country by 2025 and 5,000 by 2030.
An pointed out that the electricity import from Laos and China increased this year because of a shortage of supply caused by extreme weather and drought in the dry season.
The electricity import price was lower than some domestic sources, according to the ministry.
For example, it was around 6.5 cent
Source: Lao News Agency
