Accurately forecasting electricity load capacity, responding to extreme situations

The Ministry of Industry and Trade requires functional units to direct Power Corporations to accurately forecast peak load capacity and have appropriate operating plans to respond to extreme situations.

EVN staff check the operation of electrical equipment. (Photo: Evn)

The hot weather is forecast to continue, so the Ministry of Industry and Trade has directed functional units to closely monitor the actual situation to have appropriate methods of operating the power system, ensuring power supply.

Electricity load increased by 11%

A report from the Electricity Regulatory Authority (Ministry of Industry and Trade) shows that from August 5 to August 11, the average daily electricity output was 959.1 million kWh, about 95.9 million kWh higher than the previous week, of which the load in the North reached 488.5 million kWh.

During the period from August 7 to August 10, due to the impact of the severe heat wave in areas such as Son La, Hoa Binh and the Northern Delta reaching over 38 degrees Celsius and spreading to the Central provinces such as Thanh Hoa and Phu Yen, the load in the North gradually increased from 458 million kWh (day 2) to 528 million kWh (day 7), with an average daily load increase of approximately 10-15 million kWh and peak capacity increase of approximately 600-800 MW.

Statistics show that last week, the Northern and national load reached the highest values since the beginning of the year, specifically at 2:05 p.m. on August 9, the national Pmax reached 48,954.6 MW, at 1:30 p.m. on August 10, the Northern Pmax reached 25,456.2 MW. Since the beginning of the year, the national load has grown by about 11% compared to the same period in 2023 (the North increased by 11.1%, the Central region by 9.8%, the South by 11.3%).

To ensure load response during the hot days of the past week in the North, from the beginning of the week, the National Electricity System and Market Operation One Member Limited Liability Company (NSMO) ordered the start-up of standby generators (approximately 3,000 MW), flexibly mobilizing standby gas turbine generators in the South to increase transmission capacity to the North during peak hours to ensure power supply security.

Representatives of the authorities informed that last week, they increased the maximum exploitation of Son La , Hoa Binh, and Tuyen Quang reservoirs to bring the water levels of the reservoirs back to the pre-flood levels applied during the main flood season from July 20 to August 21 as stipulated in the Inter-reservoir Operation Procedures in the Red River Basin (740/QD-TTg dated June 17, 2019).

The remaining output in the reservoir as of 0:00 on August 11 of the entire system was 7,415.6 million kWh, 1,417 million kWh higher than the annual plan. Compared to the August plan, the actual remaining output in the reservoir was 1,299.7 million kWh higher. The average daily output last week was about 422 million kWh.

According to data from last week, the average daily output of coal-fired thermal power plants mobilized during the week was about 349 million kWh. "The mobilization of coal-fired thermal power plants is based on system demand and to ensure grid transmission limits, system inertia and voltage quality. In particular, there are no units that are unavailable due to lack of coal," said a representative of the Electricity Regulatory Authority.

Meanwhile, the average mobilized gas-fired thermal power output was about 56.2 million kWh last week, for example, renewable energy (excluding hydropower) had an average daily output of about 113.7 million kWh, of which wind power was 26.5 million kWh.

Prioritize the mobilization of hydroelectric plants

To ensure electricity during the week (from August 12 to August 18), the authorities will mobilize hydropower plants based on the actual hydrological situation and optimal regulation orientation in the August 2024 operation plan, prioritizing the mobilization of hydropower plants to take advantage of water resources, minimizing excess discharge while meeting grid constraints, system needs, water levels and downstream water supply requirements according to the Inter-reservoir Process.

Wind power development in Binh Thuan province. (Photo: Ngoc Long/Vietnam+)

The authorities also require mobilizing coal-fired thermal power plants according to system demand, while ensuring grid transmission limit constraints, system inertia and voltage quality, as well as mobilizing gas turbine plants according to system demand, gas supply capacity while ensuring grid transmission limit constraints, voltage quality and requirements for safe and stable operation of gas fields.

Regarding renewable energy, authorities note to mobilize the highest possible primary fuel sources, ensuring the power system operates safely, reliably, stably and does not overload the elements of the power system.

Although the power system basically meets the demand for electricity load. However, in order to be proactive at the highest level, the Ministry of Industry and Trade requires Power generation units closely monitor the water flow to adjust the operating water level appropriately to ensure the safety of the project and not cause sudden flows downstream.

Regarding operations, direct the Power Corporations to accurately forecast maximum load capacity and have appropriate operating plans to respond to extreme situations and requirements. Require power generation units to have solutions to ensure stable operation at the lowest capacity, generator start-up time, and load increase and decrease in accordance with regulations in the power purchase contract.

At the same time, the Ministry of Industry and Trade also requested units to step up propaganda on electricity saving in all three regions of the North, Central and South./.

Source: https://baolangson.vn/du-bao-chinh-xac-cong-luat-phu-tai-dien-ung-pho-voi-cac-tinh-huong-cuc-doan-5018472.html