The development of intensely hot weather on a large scale in the North and Central regions since mid-June has been causing the national electricity consumption to climb sharply. According to data from the National Load Dispatch Center, at noon on June 21, the national electricity consumption capacity exceeded 45,000 MW for the first time and set a new record high of 45,528 MW. In addition, the electricity consumption capacity of the North alone also hit a new record with a peak capacity of 22,330 MW at noon on June 21.
According to the EVN, compared to the average level of the previous week, the peak capacity of the national power system on June 21 has increased by more than 6,500 MW. In the North alone, peak capacity has risen by more than 5,200 MW, or nearly 31% compared to the average of the previous week. Compared to the peak in 2021, the national electricity consumption capacity on June 21 is roughly 3,100 MW higher, and the Northern peak capacity is also nearly 1,400 MW higher. Both national and Northern power consumption set new records in this heat wave. Especially on June 21, the daily electricity generation of the entire national power system exceeded 909 million kWh for the first time, far beyond the peak of 880 million kWh in 2021. Besides, the power consumption of the North also reached a new peak of 459 million kWh on June 21.
Vietnam Electricity warned that the prolonged hot weather would increase household electricity consumption, mainly due to the use of many cooling devices, such as air conditioners. This leads to a high risk of local grid failure due to having to operate at full load and overload many times.
For households, prolonged intense hot weather also significantly affects the operation and degrades the performance of electrical devices. The risk of overloading, breakdowns, circuit breaker tripping, and even the risk of fire and explosion on peak hot days will also increase compared to normal days.
To limit the risk of local incidents on the power grid as well as in households, EVN continues to advise people, offices, and production facilities to pay attention to safe and economical electricity use, especially during peak hours from 11.30 a.m. to 2.30 p.m. at noon and from 8.00 p.m. to 10.00 p.m in the evening.
People need to use air conditioners reasonably and pay attention not to use many high-capacity electrical appliances at the same time. In the context that the prices of input fuels for power generation in recent months have escalated sharply, it is essential and meaningful to use electricity economically, contributing to reducing operating costs for the entire power system.
