In order to solve part of the electricity shortage, the Ministry of Industry and Trade calculated that it would increase imports of electricity from Laos and China. With power imported from Laos, according to the agreement signed between the two governments, the purchasing capacity by 2020 is about 1,000 MW and will increase to 3,000 MW by 2025 and about 5,000 MW by 2030.

The amount of electricity imported from China is also expected to increase from 2021 at a more competitive price than the electricity price bracket from Laos, and lower than the average price of coal-fired power plants (over 7 cents / kWh).

Department of Electricity and Renewable Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade) said that the power shortage is estimated at 3.7 billion kWh by 2021, then increased to nearly 10 billion kWh by 2022. The most stressful is 2023, level shortfall of about 15 billion kWh, then gradually reduced to 7 billion and 3.5 billion kWh in the years 2024-2025.

In the above context, wind power and solar power have not yet reached the plan as adjusted Power Plan VII, even some wind power projects have to cut capacity and solar power due to overloading of the road. cord.

Talking to Dat Viet, Prof..VS.TSKH Tran Dinh Long, Vice Chairman of Vietnam Electricity as‌sociation, said that the development of electricity and grid requires time. For coal thermal power, hydropower usually takes 3-5 years. However, until now, hydroelectricity has almost no major sources, and coal thermoelectricity has many problems related to the supply of coal as well as the environment.

Wind and solar power can grow faster, especially solar power when construction time - from start of construction to completion, depending on capacity, which can take 6-7 months up to 1 year.

Vice Chairman of Vietnam Electricity as‌sociation acknowledged that developing solar power source is not without restrictions, it takes time to monitor the stability and continuity.

"For example, the development of solar power must think that at the time of the absence of the sun, like the evening, which power source will replace? Distribution of the potential of solar energy is uneven in the territory of Vietnam, where solar power can be developed, the net is weak, want to fully load solar power, the grid must be strengthened, while it is a long story.

Normally, it takes a few years to build a new line or a new power station. Therefore, the phenomenon of some solar power sources has been completed but the ability to play the whole capacity is limited.

The contradictions that arise in the development of power source projects require relatively accurate pre-planning, balancing sources, nets, licensing and implementing projects, "said Prof. Dr. Tran Tran Dinh Long said.

Meanwhile, the import and sale of electricity between countries is not an immediate story but a common thing in the world.

"It is a trade relationship, where there is a surplus, a cheap price can be bought. In Europe, many countries have exchanged and traded each other’s electricity when there is a connected grid.

In the future, if the Vietnam grid is connected to Southeast Asia, China ... then we have the right to use that link to exchange and trade electricity together ", Prof. Tran Dinh Long pointed out.

The expert said that Vietnam can do two things: importing electricity and developing various sources of electricity because the more fields can be done together, the more flexible, efficient and durable the electricity system is. strong.

The immediate important thing that the electricity industry needs to do immediately, according to Prof. Tran Dinh Long is to promote power projects.

Statistics of the Ministry of Industry and Trade show that among 62 projects with a large capacity of over 200 MW, only 15 projects are progressing, the remaining 47 projects are behind schedule or have not determined the progress compared to the progress stated in the Regulation. VII planning to adjust.

’This is a situation that has lasted for many years. Progress of electricity projects depends on many factors: investment capital, site clearance compensation, construction investment procedures, investor capacity ... Solving the progress of power projects will help Vietnam can reduce the amount of imported electricity and be more active, "said Prof. Dr. Tran Dinh Long.

Talking more about the situation of projects that are behind schedule, Dr. Ngo Thuong San, former General Director of Vietnam Oil and Gas Group, reports the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s reports on electricity projects run by Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group ( PVN) done.

PVN is as‌signed to be the investor of 8 key power source projects with a total capacity of 11,400 MW. In which, in the period 2016-2020 there are 3 projects and the period of 2021-2025 has 5 projects.

Up to now, all 8 projects face difficulties and obstacles and are difficult to complete according to the schedule in the Electricity Plan VII adjusted.

Specifically, there are 3 projects under construction, each of which is 2-3 years behind schedule. 4 projects are implementing construction investment procedures, all of which are expected to be delayed by 2.5-3.5 years compared to the requirements of the Electricity Plan VII. One project has proposed to as‌sign another investor (Long Phu III).

"Vietnam lacks electricity due to lack of gas, but due to power plants being delayed.

Saying the lack of electricity, we have to buy from foreign countries, but if that money is to invest in power plants, speeding up the projects, the story will be different.

At present, the gas reserves we have, can we bring in gas but the power plant is not built, so what do we put into it? For example, the gas project of Block B-O Mon, the oil and gas industry invested pipelines and many other infrastructure but the power plant did not have.

The gas and electricity industry is a chain of links, linked together, which must be synchronized. I think instead of waiting for the ministries to sit down and invest in factories, whoever invests in BOT ... the State Steering Committee for key projects must have a decisive voice.

No need to wonder who is choosing BOT investment, the management agency just doesn’t need to limit the price of gas and how much to buy electricity, investors will accept it, "said Dr Ngo Thuong San.