Many hydroelectric plants are still running out of water, operating at a low capacity.

Many factories in the North are still operating at a moderate rate, of which Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, if operating at maximum capacity, will only be able to operate for the next 12-13 days.

On June 13, the Ministry of Industry and Trade said that water flow has improved somewhat when the total flow to large hydropower reservoirs in the North (mainly in Hoa Binh and Lai Chau) increased by 28% compared to June 11. Today in the North, Son La, Lai Chau and Thac Ba hydropower plants still stopped mobilizing.

Currently, the water level at Lai Chau Lake is 271.9 m, 6.9 m higher than the dead water level (threshold for electricity generation); Son La is 176.7 m, 1.7 m higher than the safe water level for electricity generation. However, to prepare for the upcoming hot days, the mobilization from large hydropower plants is still limited. Today in the North, 4 plants are not generating electricity, including Tuyen Quang, Lai Chau , Son La and Thac Ba.

Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant - the plant at the last step on the Da River - these days, in addition to supplying electricity to the North, also plays the role of frequency regulator (the power source maintains a stable frequency, avoiding system interruptions that cause widespread power outages) and ensures water for downstream areas.

The water level at Hoa Binh Lake on June 13 was 102.8 m, 22.8 m below the dead water level. Mr. Pham Van Vuong, Director of Hoa Binh Hydropower Company, said that the water level at Hoa Binh Hydropower Lake in recent days has been very low, 40 m/s, meaning almost none.

"With the remaining water in the lake, if we continuously exploit the maximum of 46-47 million kWh per day, after 12-13 days the water level in the lake will reach a threshold that cannot be operated safely. At that time, we will not be able to generate electricity, nor will we be able to maintain stable functions for system operation," said Mr. Vuong.

The water level in Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir is very low, more than 22 meters from the dead water level, June 13. Photo: Anh Minh — The water level in Hoa Binh hydroelectric reservoir is very low, more than 22 meters from the dead water level, June 13. Photo: *Anh Minh*

The Director of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant assessed that the situation "has never been so difficult" when the plan for the whole year was to produce about 9.8 billion kWh, but after half a year, only 37% of the plan was produced.

"Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant has reached dead water level before, but I have never witnessed the lakes of factories in the North simultaneously reaching dead water level like this," he shared.

Mr. Do Quang Binh, Chief Operator of Hoa Binh Hydropower Plant, said that due to the general power shortage, the plant's operations are currently tense, with the number of dispatch orders during this time tripled compared to normal.

"There are times when the control center requires all generators to operate at maximum capacity to ensure system stability, but other times it requires reducing capacity to minimum to store water for operation," said Mr. Binh.

In this context, Hoa Binh sacrifices power generation output to keep the system stable. "Without frequency-controlled power for the system, it can lead to a rapid drop in capacity, causing widespread power outages," Mr. Pham Van Vuong added.

According to an update from the Ministry of Industry and Trade, on the afternoon of June 13, the upstream area of Gam River and Thao River in Lao Cai had 50-100mm of rain; Ha Giang had over 100mm.

It is forecasted that by June 16, the average water flow to the Lai Chau - Son La area will be around 400-600 m3/s, helping to increase the water level in the lakes here. However, large hydropower plants such as Lai Chau and Son La have not yet mobilized to store water to cope with the upcoming heat wave.

According to previous information, the Ministry said that the North will lack 30.9-50.8 million kWh per day, and there is a risk of power shortages at most hours of the day. The National Center for Hydro-Meteorological Forecasting predicts that hydroelectric reservoirs will still be "thirsty" for water in the next 10 days when the water flow to the reservoirs is very low.

Mr. Minh

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