HANOI, Mar 22, 2006 -- Xinhua

 

Vietnam should build additional 74 electricity plants with total capacity of 81,000 mw by 2015, local newspaper Investment reported Wednesday.

The planned plants include 46 hydroelectric with average capacity of 50 mw each, 22 thermoelectric to be fueled by coal and gas, and one nuclear power, the paper quoted General Director of the state-owned Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) Dao Van Hung as saying.

In the 2006-2015 period, Vietnam will have to seek investment of 109 billion U.S. dollars to develop its electricity industry, he said, noting that the state-owned corporation, the country's biggest power producer and sole distributor, is calling for foreign investment in the forms of Build-Operate-Transfer (BOT), Build-Own-Operate (BOO) or joint ventures.

The EVN predicted Vietnam will encounter electricity shortage of 180-200 million kw this year due to increasing electricity demand, unfavorable weather conditions which negatively affect operation of hydroelectric plants, and sluggish construction of power works in some localities.

By late last year, 95.9 percent of communes and 90.4 percent of households in Vietnam had access to the national electricity grid, the EVN said.

Vietnam plans to increase its electricity capacity to 25,000-26, 000 mw in 2010 from 11,400 mw in 2005, meeting demand for its socio-economic development, according to the country's Industry Ministry.

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