Vietnam to buy 1500 GWh of power annually from Laos

• 4 years ago (2020-01-06)
• David Flin

Asia 892 Transmission 191

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Vietnam’s state power utility Vietnam Electricity ( EVN ) has announced it will buy around 1500 GWh of electricity a year from Laos for two years starting in 2021.

EVN has signed contracts to buy 600 GWh a year from two hydropower plants belonging to Phongsubthavy Group and 630 GWh from two plants belonging to Chealun Sekong Group from 2022. From 2021, EVN will start buying 263 GWh annually from another plant belonging to Chealun Sekong Group.

The imports have been approved by the Vietnam Government to mitigate power shortages predicted to affect the country from this year. The Ministry of Industry and Trade estimates shortages of 3700 GWh in 2021, and nearly 10,000 GWh the following year. The shortage is expected to be around 15,000 GWh in 2023, and will decrease thereafter. The ministry has said that not more than 5-8 per cent of electricity can be conserved, and the only solution is to import more from Laos and China. It added that importation was only a temporary solution, and that in the long run, it is necessary to speed up work on large power generation projects.