Electricity supply in the face of increased load pressure.

Widespread hot weather, coupled with a strong recovery in production and business activities, has led to a rapid increase in electricity demand nationwide.

With widespread heatwaves, electricity consumption in all three regions of Vietnam (north, central, and south) has reached its highest level since the beginning of the year.

The fact that national electricity production has been continuously setting new records since mid-May shows the immense pressure on the national power system and highlights the urgent need for optimal management and mobilization of power sources.

Many operational records were set.

According to the National Electricity System and Market Operator (NSMO), on May 15, 2026, the national electricity output reached over 1.152 billion kWh, setting the highest level so far this year and equaling 103.6% of the peak level of 2025.

On the same day, the national power system's peak capacity reached 54,654 MW at 2:15 PM, equivalent to 95.5% of the previous year's highest level.

Notably, two days prior, electricity production had peaked and continued to increase, reaching 1.1 billion kWh on May 13th and 1.13 billion kWh on May 14th.

According to NSMO's assessment, the above developments clearly reflect the impact of the prolonged and widespread heatwave, indicating that the economic recovery and growth rate is high, leading to a sharp increase in electricity demand.

Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trung, Deputy General Director of NSMO, said that the unit had predicted a very strong increase in electricity demand immediately after the April 30th and May 1st holidays. Based on this, power system operation plans were prepared early to ensure safe and stable electricity supply for production and daily life. However, these electricity consumption milestones also put pressure on the electricity sector in general and the National Power System and Market Operation Company in particular in ensuring electricity supply security.

In the electricity consumption structure on May 15th, the North used approximately 557 million kWh, accounting for 48.42% of the total national electricity production; the South reached approximately 487 million kWh, accounting for 42.2%; and the Central region reached 108 million kWh, equivalent to 9.4%.

In particular, the southern region continued to record strong load growth, with peak power reaching 23,462MW, equivalent to 105.5% of the 2025 record; the peak power of the northern region also reached 26,419MW.

NSMO assessed that, despite the sudden surge in load, the national power system remained safe and stable; power sources were optimally mobilized to meet the sharply increased electricity consumption during the peak of the hot season.

Maximize the use of all available power sources.

To meet the rapidly increasing electricity demand right from the beginning of the dry season, NSMO has closely coordinated with power generation units and implemented many solutions to prepare power sources from the end of 2025.

According to Mr. Nguyen Quoc Trung, the unit has closely monitored the progress of repairs at power plants to minimize the shutdown of large generating units during the dry season; at the same time, it has optimized the operation of thermal and hydropower sources to ensure electricity supply during peak load periods.

For hydropower, NSMO coordinates with ministries and agencies to flexibly operate reservoirs to conserve water resources during peak hot months such as May, June, and July.

In the power generation structure on May 15th, coal-fired power plants continued to play a leading role with an output of approximately 615.6 million kWh, accounting for 53.4% ​​of the total electricity generated by the entire system.

Hydropower contributed approximately 288 million kWh, equivalent to 25%; gas turbine units provided about 102.9 million kWh.

Solar power generation reached approximately 48.2 million kWh; rooftop solar power approximately 44 million kWh; and wind power approximately 33.5 million kWh.

According to Mr. Nguyen Ba Hoai, Deputy Head of the Renewable Energy Department of NSMO, the total installed capacity of renewable energy sources has now reached approximately 22,000 MW, accounting for about 28% of the total installed capacity of the entire national power system. However, the rapid increase in the proportion of renewable energy also poses many challenges to the dispatching and operation of the power system.

One of the biggest challenges is the high volatility of wind and solar power sources due to their dependence on weather conditions. At times, the capacity of renewable sources can fluctuate by 1,500-2,000MW in just one hour.

To improve the accuracy of operational planning, NSMO has implemented various renewable energy forecasting solutions, including the use of international forecasting systems in combination with domestic forecasting models.

According to Nhan Dan newspaper

Source: https://baotuyenquang.com.vn/xa-hoi/202605/cung-ung-dien-truoc-ap-luc-phu-tai-tang-cao-81c7f5c/