Vietnam consumed 850.3 million kWh of electricity on May 31, the highest-ever volume in the country, due to scorching weather.

EVN's staff work in scorching weather. Photo: EVN Hanoi

Blistering heat in the northern and central regions drove the capacity to the new peak of 41,549 MW on the day, according to the National Load Dispatch Center (NLDC) under the Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

The capacity on May 31 rose by 3,350 MW on-year, nearly equal to a total capacity of Lai Chau and Son La Hydropower Plants, the third and first largest hydropower in Vietnam, respectively.

The volume in the northern region was 360 million kWh while that in Hanoi was 90.3 million kWh.

Vietnam’s northern and central regions have undergone burning hot weather over the past few days, reaching approximately 54 Degree Celsius outdoor at noon.

EVN warned that the prolonged burning weather might lead to local grid failure while the operating lines and substations were overloaded at some moments.

The country’s sole power distributor advised local consumers to practice power efficiency. 

In 2020, the volume of both produced and imported power reached 247.08 billion kWh, up 2.9% on-year.

As of end-2020, the country’s total installed power capacity hit 69,300 MW, increasing 14,000 MW from the previous year. The total capacity included 17,430 MW from renewables.