Preparing for electricity supply during peak heatwave period.

(PLVN) - In the early days of April 2026, the national power system's electricity consumption consistently remained at an average of over 1 billion kWh/day. On April 8th, a new record was set with 1.092 billion kWh in a single day and a peak power of 52,225 MW. It is predicted that the 1.1 billion kWh/day mark may be reached immediately after the April 30th and May 1st holidays. Therefore, detailed plans are being made by relevant agencies to ensure electricity supply during the peak of the hot season.

The load is increasing very sharply.

Over the years, the national power system's load has continuously set new records. Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trung, Deputy General Director of the National Power System Operation and Market Company (NSMO), stated that in 2026, the national power system will reach the milestone of 1 billion kWh of electricity per day, on March 31st. This indicates a very strong increase in load.

"Looking back at previous years, this trend is clear. In 2024, the system hadn't yet reached the 1 billion kWh/day mark. In 2025, it wasn't until early May, or even mid-May, that the entire national power system reached this threshold. But in 2026, as early as March 31st, we will have already reached the 1 billion kWh/day mark," Mr. Trung analyzed.

Notably, in the early days of April, the national power grid's electricity consumption consistently remained at an average of over 1 billion kWh/day. On April 8th, a new record was set with 1.092 billion kWh in a single day and a peak power of 52,225 MW. Therefore, NSMO forecasts that the 1.1 billion kWh/day mark may be reached immediately after the April 30th and May 1st holidays.

“This puts immense pressure on power management. If the heatwave only lasts 1-2 days, the increase in load is not too significant. But when the heatwave persists for 4-5 consecutive days, even with just a slight increase in ambient temperature, and assuming the electrical equipment system remains unchanged, daily electricity demand can increase by approximately 800-1,000 MW. If that high temperature continues for another 3-4 days, the cumulative load increase could even reach 3,000-4,000 MW,” Mr. Trung emphasized. He added that even a 1-2 degree Celsius increase in temperature would require the national power system to handle an amount of power equivalent to the entire capacity of the Hoa Binh hydropower complex.

When electricity demand increases, the power supply in the North is always under immense pressure due to peak heat waves, even periods of extreme heat. It is predicted that electricity demand in the North will continue to increase sharply in the coming years, and responding to this increase will be extremely difficult because the peak daily power and consumption in this region already account for over 50% of the national power system. Meanwhile, the total power generation capacity in the North only accounts for about one-third of the entire system.

Furthermore, the complex geopolitical landscape of the world, along with the impact of the El Nino phenomenon and prolonged heatwaves, is creating significant pressure on the task of optimizing operation and ensuring electricity supply to the North in 2026, especially during peak periods of hot weather.

Urgently prepare power supply plans.

According to NSMO, the current power system faces the greatest pressure during two time slots: from 12:30 PM to 2:30 PM and from 9 PM to 11 PM. However, according to the Deputy Director of NSMO, in conditions of prolonged hot weather, the nighttime hours are the time that requires special attention. The reason is that during the first time slot, even though the load demand may exceed 52,000 MW, the system still has the support of solar power with a capacity of nearly 17,000 MW. But by around 9 PM to 11 PM, the solar power source is no longer available, while the demand for electricity remains very high.

Therefore, the Ministry of Industry and Trade has proposed solutions to address the pressure of evening hours, including promoting the installation of large-scale battery energy storage systems (BESS) and adding mandatory storage system requirements for solar power projects implemented in the future.

In addition, NSMO requested EVN to continue accelerating the commissioning of capacitor bank systems, especially the BESS system in the North; and for power generation and grid management units to maintain equipment availability at the highest level…

Furthermore, the power system dispatching agency is implementing a comprehensive set of solutions. These focus on optimizing power source operation, particularly the efficient exploitation of hydropower according to hydrological conditions, while ensuring fuel supply for thermal power plants. Specifically, regarding hydropower, the agency proposes increasing flexible hydropower exploitation. Small hydropower plants are required to accumulate water and concentrate power generation during peak load hours (12:30 PM - 3:30 PM and 9:00 PM - 11:00 PM), especially during the flood season in July and August.

Simultaneously, the development of rooftop solar power (BESS), with a projected scale of hundreds of MW, will create additional tools for load regulation, contributing to increased flexibility of the power system in the near future; along with implementing load adjustment solutions during peak hours; strengthening coordination with transmission and distribution units to build flexible operating methods and prepare contingency plans for responding to incidents under high load conditions.

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/chuan-bi-cung-ung-dien-cho-cao-diem-nang-nong.html