Record-breaking heat wave, Vietnam's power supply in crisis
Canon, FII, Samsung Electronics and other manufacturers in Vietnam have been affected by power outages and restrictions.
Extreme heat is sweeping across Vietnam, causing a power crisis in the country and affecting some industrial parks with power outages.
According to media reports on Tuesday, industrial parks in northern provinces of Vietnam, including Bac Giang and Bac Ninh, were affected by power outages due to the overloaded power supply system caused by the hot weather. Manufacturers such as Canon, FII, and Samsung have factories in the region, and power outages mean production stoppages for these factories.
In early May, Vietnam set a new record high temperature of 44.1 degrees Celsius, breaking the record set in 2019. The dry weather and the decrease in water levels at hydroelectric power stations have made Vietnam's power supply tense. Thousands of factories have been forced to reduce their power usage. Currently, decision-makers are scrambling to find ways to increase power supply, either by quickly launching completed renewable energy projects or by introducing liquefied natural gas imports for the first time.
Do Thang Hai, Deputy Minister of Trade of Vietnam, said at a briefing last Saturday:
The country is working hard to solve the power shortage problem, and the Ministry of Trade has asked government agencies to increase coal and natural gas production. In addition, most cities and provinces have issued instructions to save electricity, reducing daily electricity consumption by about 2.5%.
For example, the local government of Bac Giang province ordered factories to shift some production to after 10 pm and turn off or dim the lighting in public areas to 50%.
Earlier, Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh warned that residents of the country could face power outages due to record-breaking temperatures and unprecedented power demand.
Vietnam's public utilities department pointed out that further interruptions in power supply may be inevitable due to demand exceeding the grid's load, and power supply in northern Vietnam is expected to continue to increase in early June during the hot weather.