Drought, scorching summer demand turn the heat on power industry
Prolonged drought and increased summer demand are exerting great pressure on the electricity industry as water levels in several major dams drop significantly.
Doan Tien Cuong, director of Ialy Hydropower Company, told local media that water level at the 720 MW Ialy Hydropower Plant in the Central Highlands province of Gia Lai, the third largest hydropower project in the country with an average annual production of 3.68 billion kWh, is just nine meters above the dead water level.
This has happened because water flows to the reservoir during this year’s dry season, which normally lasts from late November to late April, was 27 cubic meters per second, just one third of the previous year’s volume.
According to the Dai Ninh Hydropower Company, the plant in the Central Highlands province of Lam Dong seriously lacks water. The plant’s water level was at just 1.6 meters above the dead water level on May 21.
Dang Khoa
