HOW HAS COVID-19 AFFECTED ENERGY EFFICIENCY IN VIETNAM?

Overloading the power grid and technical requirements to ensure the safety of the national power system cause many renewable energy projects to cut capacity. During the outbreak of the Covid-19 epidemic, many wind and solar power plants - energy sources that are prioritized to mobilize first and maximize capacity have been forced to reduce output many times in 2020 and 2021, because of grid overload and technical requirements to ensure safety for electricity generation. national power system.

A report by the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) shows that in 2020, about 365 million kWh of solar power has to be reduced. In 2021, the untapped power output of renewable energy sources (including wind power and solar power) will increase to nearly 1.7 billion kWh due to the problem of oversupply at noon and road overload. 500kV super high voltage wire. This situation not only wastes a large amount of produced clean energy, but the investment in economical and efficient use of energy is also not as desired.

At times when the Covid-19 pandemic was complicated and unpredictable, many provinces and cities had to take urgent measures to prevent and control the epidemic. The restriction on travel has led to many businesses planning to invest in new equipment and technologies that consume less electricity to be delayed.

As stated by Trinh Quoc Vu, Deputy Director of the Department of Energy Saving and Sustainable Development (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the Covid-19 epidemic has made the implementation of the National Program on economical and efficient use of energy very difficult. many difficulties, especially for some large provinces and cities with many industrial parks, high energy consumption such as Ho Chi Minh City, Binh Duong... Survey results, assessment of compliance of enterprises The energy audit in 2021 shows that the construction and maintenance of the energy management system is only 30-40%, this is a low level, not a high level.

While in fact, the potential for energy saving in our country is huge. Currently, industries account for more than 47% of total national energy consumption, with the potential to save energy up to 30-35%. According to calculations by Mr. Vo Quang Lam, Deputy General Director of EVN, on the basis of the "List of key energy-using facilities" issued by the Prime Minister, enterprises with energy consumption from 1,000 TOE or 6 million kWh of electricity/year or more, the country currently has 2,961 establishments and most of them are industrial production enterprises, with an average electricity consumption of 72 billion kWh/year, accounting for 33% of the total national electricity consumption. .

From the perspective of an energy consultant, Mr. Ha Dang Son - Director of the Center for Energy Research and Green Growth, Deputy Director of the Vietnam Low Emission Energy Program (USAID V-LEEP II) acknowledged, In the context of the Covid-19 epidemic, the financial capacity of enterprises has been greatly reduced. Currently, most of the priorities of enterprises focus more on the story of making investments to ensure the ability to maintain production and business, and to meet the existence of enterprises instead of the story seen below. perspectives such as solutions to save energy, cut costs...

“Energy saving and cost reduction are no longer a priority of enterprises as before. These challenges require other orientations, options and long-term plans to promote investment in energy saving. Energy saving is one of the most important and basic requirements to be able to fulfill commitments such as NET-ZERO that the Government has just made at COP-26, as well as implement meet the requirements as stated in Resolution 55/NQ-TW of the Politburo…”, Mr. Son pointed out.

Obviously, to achieve NET-ZERO – net emissions of zero by 2050 as committed by the Government of Vietnam at COP-26, together with strongly developing renewable energy sources, reducing strongly consuming fossil energy sources and moving towards phasing out coal-fired power... then economical and efficient use of energy is a must.