Poor Planning Leaves Power Capacity Unused

QUANG NGAI (VNS)— A number of power transformer stations in the central province of Quang Ngai are reported not to be producing to capacity, prompting local authorities to review the efficiency of the planning and investment stages of their construction.

In Binh Son District, a VND700 billion (US$33.3 million) 500KV transformer station has been operational for three years, helping provide power for factories in the Dung Quat Economic Zone, but only one-third of its capacity has been put to use.

The manager of the station, Nguyen Huu Nhat, said that while they have a capacity of 450MW, the current demand is much lower, at around 100-150MW.

He added that this is due to many planned factory developments falling through due to a lack of investment following the economic slowdown.

The station is one of many built in the province in the last few years under the provincial socio-economical development master plan that ran until 2010. Other projects built during that time include two 220KV stations in the in districts of Mo Duc and Dung Quat, and a 110KV station in Dung Quat. Hundreds of billion of Vietnamese dong were reportedly spent on such projects.

Truong Quang Dung, deputy director of the provincial Department of Industry and Trade, said that the investment put into these electricity transmission projects were based on a vision of high power demand, with the authorities wanting to ensure that there would be enough power for local residents' daily life and production.

However, he admitted that currently electricity transmission stations in the province are working up to just 30 per cent of their design capacity.

He said that local authorities had failed to assess the real need, and so unintentionally caused a waste for investors and the State budget. — VNS