Urgent meeting to plan to ensure safe operation of the national power system

The meeting was attended by representatives of the Electricity Authority, the Northern and Central Power System Control Center, the National Power Transmission Corporation (EVNNPT), the Northern Power Corporation (EVNNPC), and the Hanoi Power Corporation (EVNHANOI). The meeting was chaired by Mr. Vu Xuan Khu - Deputy General Director of NSMO Company.

Overview of the meeting

Speaking at the meeting, Mr. Vu Xuan Khu warned that storm No. 3 - Wipha has similar characteristics to storm No. 3 - Yagi that occurred in 2024, when the entire Quang Ninh province was isolated for a long time due to power outages and communication loss. Mr. Khu said that many coal-fired thermal power plants had problems or had to stop due to fuel supply system interruptions, self-consumption power outages and grid failures. According to Mr. Khu, this is a serious situation, causing difficulties for both the central control system and on-site operating stations.

Mr. Khu also emphasized that the situation could recur if there is no careful preparation in terms of communication means and on-site power sources, and said that many 220kV stations currently use remote control systems, and if a large-scale power outage occurs, the re-establishment of operations could be delayed. Therefore, Mr. Khu requested the development of flexible operating plans and proactive re-establishment of on-duty shifts at important stations, especially in areas at risk of being directly affected by storms.

Faced with the complex developments of the storm, NSMO departments and units have proactively taken steps to prepare for safety and response readiness. Specifically, the units have made plans to arrange additional on-duty personnel, especially for teams and groups tasked with on-site response.

At the same time, the units also reviewed the entire emergency response plan system to ensure that the main and backup communication channels remain operational and ready in all situations, even when traditional channel signals or the Internet are lost.

NSMO said that the unit has proactively developed a plan to mobilize power sources to ensure the autonomy of each region with a high level of reserve, ensuring safe operation of the system in extreme situations or when there is a problem with the interconnecting power grid between regions. NSMO units also affirmed that lessons have been learned from strong storms in 2024, especially in the context of storm Wipha which could reach level 14-15 and cause a risk of widespread power outages, leading to grid separation.

NSMO informed that the unit has completed the inspection of technical infrastructure at key points such as the headquarters and the control center.

In addition, the storm monitoring team has been updating weather forecasts every three hours, starting from the afternoon of July 21 until noon on July 23 - the expected time the storm passes. These bulletins will be sent to operational units to proactively adjust their operating methods and respond promptly. NSMO also said that a system to monitor the storm's track and intensity has been set up to ensure continuous and accurate information.

Because the eye of the storm is determined to make landfall in the Northern region, Mr. Pham Manh Cuong - Director of the Northern Power System Control Center said that the center has coordinated with units to review all points at risk of being affected, especially transformer stations and transmission lines, to ensure that they are always ready to respond to incidents and restore the incident components as quickly as possible.

At the Central Power System Control Center, this unit has also completed the review of main and backup communication channels, surveillance camera systems and backup power generation equipment at the control center, ensuring readiness to handle situations of internet loss or monitoring and control system failures.

EVNNPT representative said: The Corporation has issued a dispatch directing Power Transmission Companies 1 and 2 and the Project Management Boards of power projects in the North and Central regions to ensure that 100% of 500kV stations and all 220kV stations in the risk areas have been re-established with full shifts.

Meanwhile, EVNHANOI representative informed that the Corporation has requested all affiliated units to prepare operational plans. 100% of units have completed the work of reestablishing shifts at 110kV transformer stations, and at the same time prepared specialized vehicles, vehicles and mobile generators. Flood-prone areas have been inspected and the anti-flooding system has been reinforced.

After listening to the reports from the units, Mr. Vu Xuan Khu requested that the units proactively provide a list of leaders, shifts at power stations, power plants and backup contact points in case of loss of mobile communication.

Mr. Khu also requested to establish a two-way communication mechanism between the control center and operating units to ensure continuous operation.

Mr. Vu Xuan Khu said that this is a big storm that can affect the entire electricity industry, when many power plants and substations are at risk of power outages, so careful preparation along with plans to handle incidents is needed.

Mr. Khu also suggested developing a preparedness scenario in case the power system is separated, especially at the 500kV Nho Quan – Nghi Son line. The operating method should be established according to the principle of balancing the capacity of each region to ensure frequency stability and maintain safe operation for each part of the system when a separation incident occurs.

Finally, Mr. Khu emphasized: On-duty workers must closely monitor the storm's developments, proactively handle incidents to avoid spreading, and quickly restore self-consumption power to thermal power plants and important transformer stations if a self-consumption power outage occurs.

According to Tin Tuc Newspaper/Vietnam News Agency

Source: https://baobacninhtv.vn/hop-khan-len-phuong-an-dam-bao-an-toan-van-hanh-he-thong-dien-quoc-gia-postid422356.bbg