No more power shortages in northern Vietnam this year: official

There will be adequate supply for both business and household needs as the ministry has ordered national utility Vietnam Electricity (EVN) to closely monitor the system to meet demands, he told reporters Tuesday.

Water levels at hydropower plants in the northern localities of Son Lai, Lai Chau, Tuyen Quang and Ban Chat on Tuesday were 12-27 meters higher than the minimum level required for power production. The levels are expected to increase in the upcoming days.

With the northern region recording temperatures as high as 40 degrees Celsius of late, daily consumption is estimated at 440 million kilowatt-hours a day in early July.

However, Hai said that in the long run new projects were needed to increase supply and transmission capability.

In May and June, Hanoi and other northern localities suffered frequent load shedding due to low rainfall, which reduces capacity at hydropower plants.