Experts discuss the overloaded renewable energy system on May 4 in Hanoi. (Photo: EVN) Nguyen Duc Ninh, director of the centre, said during a dialogue between EVN’sleaders and electricity experts on the operation of the national power system inHanoi on May 4 that the increasing solar and wind power was causing manydifficulties in the operation of the power system.
According to Ninh, the proportion of renewable energy currently contributed upto 60 percent of the peak load at noon and was prioritised for use at a maximumlevel, meaning the centre had to stop buying power from hydroelectricitysources around the time. As the result, the hydropower plants in central andsouthern Vietnam, with nearly 8,000MW, had to stop working at noon toprioritise the purchase of renewable energy.
The centre also said from 2019 to the end of 2020, there was a boom inrenewable energy from solar and wind power. For example, Ninh Thuan provincehas the largest rate of renewable energy in the country with thousands of MW,but has very low demand for electricity itself so it transfers most of theproduction to other localities.
As of April 2021, out of the total power capacity, the country has 7,700MW ofrooftop solar power and about 9,200 MW of farm solar power. The currentcapacity of wind power projects of 612MW was expected to increase up to4,500-5,400MW between September and October this year.
The centre, which is responsible for ensuring normal operation of theelectricity market in Vietnam, added the phenomenon of redundant renewableenergy was now affecting the operation of the power system, such as overloadedlocal lines and large gap in load between peak and off-peak hours.
Tran Dinh Long, Vice President of the Vietnam Electricity Association, said atthe dialogue: “The boom in renewable energy projects is leading to difficultiesin state management,” adding: “The current shortcoming is that the PPCs ofprovinces do not consult the electricity sellers about difficulties inoperation and connection when they approved the energy projects so it leads toa lack of control in the development of renewable energy projects over time.”
Sharing the same view, Ha Dang Son, director of the Centre for Energy and GreenGrowth Research, said that the explosion of solar and wind power projects inrecent years mainly comes from the fact that local authorities have approvedtoo many projects.
Nguyen Minh Khoa, head of EVN’s legal department, said in accordance with theLaw on Investment, the Provincial People's Committee will approve investors ofsolar and wind power projects. When the local authorities issue a projectlicense, EVN is not allowed to refuse to buy electricity from those projectsbut only take part in price negotiations.
At first, EVN strived to operate all the sources with the lowest totalproduction cost. The main reason for the issue was the low demand forelectricity, the lack of synchronous investment in grid projects and theslowdown of the economy and the widespread influence of COVID-19. The groupwill continue to review, update, and adjust the processes to suit theelectricity system's operating conditions.
Ngo Son Hai, EVN's Deputy General Director, also said that the reduction ofrenewable energy sources has been reported to the Ministry of Industry andTrade.
He added that according to the ministry's guidance, as renewable energy sourcesare overloaded, they will be a priority to be used the most. Once themobilisation remains redundant, they will be equally cut to fit the situation./.
VNA
