Vietnam Electricity denies telling foreign companies to cut power use by 30%

By Phuong Dung May 22, 2024 | 08:56 pm PT

An employee works on electric cables in northern Quang Ninh Province. Photo courtesy of Vietnam Electricity

Vietnam Electricity has refuted a media report that it has told foreign-owned companies in the north to cut electricity use by 30% this summer.

On Wednesday British news agency Reuters claimed that officials have urged Apple supplier Foxconn to reduce power use by 30% at its assembly plants in a region that saw electricity outages last year.

But EVN said in a statement Wednesday it is not implementing any plan that involves cutting customers’ power use.

It has been monitoring demand and has plans to ensure supply, it added.

Also on Wednesday the Ministry of Industry and Trade said in a statement that claims by some foreign companies that electricity authorities wanted them to voluntarily reduce power use has caused misunderstanding about the solutions the latter are implementing.

Between May and July demand in the north is expected to rise by 17% from the same period in 2023, according to EVN.

Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh has called on households and businesses to save power by reducing use during peak hours and installing rooftop solar systems.

Facilities that consume one million kilowatt-hours a year need to save at least 2%, he said.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Sinh Nhat Tan addressed businesses’ concerns in March saying there would be no power shortage this year.

A 500-kilovolt power line is being installed to transmit power from the south to the north, and the government is finalizing a direct power purchase mechanism and encouraging rooftop solar development, he added.