Let electricity go one step ahead

Just before that, on August 4, the national power system set a new operational record in both output and capacity. Specifically, at 1:30 p.m. on August 4, 2025, the maximum capacity of the national power system reached a new peak of 54,939 MW; the power output on August 4 also set a new peak of 1,112 billion kWh.

Notably, when the demand for electricity consumption in the North, including the capital Hanoi, was increasing, an incident occurred on the 220 kV Hoa Binh - Ha Dong line, leading to overloading of 500/220 kV lines and transformers in the surrounding area following a domino effect.

The national power system operator immediately had to adjust the load in some areas to reduce the load on the power lines and transformers to ensure system safety and avoid widespread incidents. Some households with large electricity consumption also joined hands with the electricity industry by reducing electricity consumption at that time.

Another point of great concern is that on the evening of August 4, 2025 - when most agencies, offices, and schools are closed, industrial production is reduced compared to the daytime shift, but because the temperature has not improved, the demand for electricity consumption is still very high. The maximum capacity during the evening peak (8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.) on August 4, 2025 nationwide reached 52,328 MW.

The problem is that in the evening, the national power system no longer has the support of about 17,000 MW of concentrated solar power and rooftop solar power connected to the national grid, and also lacks the support of about 1,200 MWp of self-producing and self-consuming rooftop solar power systems. This has put great pressure on the work of regulating the power system and operating the electricity market during peak evening hours (8:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.).

At the same time, some coal-fired thermal power plants, due to continuous operation during the previous hot days, also had their capacity reduced, causing output and supply capacity to not be as designed.

To meet the increased demand for electricity on the evening of August 4, 2025, the power system must mobilize DO diesel generators with high costs (4,000 - 5,000 VND/kWh) of Thu Duc and Can Tho power plants... and a series of other solutions to operate the power system safely and continuously.

The fact that the historical milestone for electricity consumption was set at a time when the North was in the rainy season meant that hydropower plants in this area had favorable water supply, and the 500 kV line 3 operated smoothly, but the power system still experienced high loads, full or overloaded lines on many lines, leading to power interruptions in some places, also showing the pressure in ensuring power supply.

The above reality raises an urgent need for new investment in the 220 kV and 110 kV transmission grid, as the scale is large, but private investors are still not interested because the transmission fee is too low (less than 100 VND/kWh). Even the National Power Transmission Corporation - the main unit in investing in the power grid - is facing difficulties when banks only grant limited credit limits based on the scale of equity capital, so the desire to invest more in electricity is not simple.

In addition, although many large power sources listed in the Power Plan VIII and the adjusted VIII have been assigned to investors for several years, they have not been implemented in practice or have not met the desired progress. This situation is a challenge that needs to be resolved soon in the effort to supplement power sources.

Therefore, the desire to “look far, look wide, think deeply, do big” that the Prime Minister set for EVN is a requirement for the competent authorities in the process of finding breakthrough solutions to handle the current problems in the electricity industry. Only then can we hope to create a domino effect to attract new and large private capital flows, thereby forming a strong electricity infrastructure that can adequately meet the energy requirements for economic development.

Source: https://baodautu.vn/de-dien-di-truoc-mot-buoc-d357378.html