Basing on the coal power, difficulty of ensuring energy security

The shift to green growth is necessary for Vietnam. Photo by Nguyen Ha.

Energy security is not ensured

The thermal power under power planning (QHD) of adjustment VII remains the main source of energy for socio-economic development, accounting for nearly 43% of total capacity by 2020. However, due to the dependence on this traditional energy sources, ensuring the security of Vietnam's energy assessed by Ngo Duc Lam, former deputy director of the Institute of Energy is impossible. This statement was made when Mr. Lam recited the suggestion of the World Bank (ADB) that In order to know the country with the energy security enough, the question must be answered: Has The country diversified Primary energy, depended on the traditional energy too much and the level of energy imports that whether that energy is reachable or not as well as infrastructure to implement?

The same with this view, the economist Pham Chi Lan said that the dependence on coal power will make Vietnam meet many energy challenges. This challenge comes from increasing the demand for energy, but the demand for energy has not been sufficiently measured in terms of using energy efficiency and saving the energy is not really significant.

“Vietnam's energy supply sectors are a monopoly, so they tend to enlarge demand to continue upward supply. Therefore, the coal-fired thermal power of Adjustment VII is also adjusted to the high demand growth rate that requires more investment and the demonstration is that only coal can catch up with demand. That is not fair calculation, "Lan said.

Moreover, the use of inefficient energy is the main reason for the intensity of Vietnam's energy consumption at the highest level in the world. This comes from the policy of Vietnam’s economic development investment with little regard for energy efficiency. Ms. Lan argues that Vietnam is anxious to obtain high growth so it does not pay attention to the energy-consuming industries such as iron and cement while the sectors are now surplus. In addition, the privileges and incentives for EVN in production and monopoly in electricity trading do not encourage the energy efficiency but focus on the supply development, not paying attention to demand. "Every year, the state subsidizes $ 4 billion for the electricity industry to develop energy, which creates cheap electricity, but the $ 4 billion burden is the burden of the economy and taxpayers," the expert said.

Coal pơer is not the only option

In fact, according to experts, the capacity for implementing the strategy and planning of Vietnam is not strong enough, the lack of social consultations and transparency in the design of strategies and planning. "For example, the reason why the thermal power under power planning of adjustment VII must be kept in mind while the actual conditions change a lot. The process of doing it was not clear and scientific, there is no full consultation, but why is it constantly kept while there are plans to give more projects. I want to talk about the steel planning, Ton Hoa Sen within a week added the planning, so why does The thermal power under power planning (QHD)of adjustment VII has a series of unreasonable coal power projects that are not removed from the planning so that there are too many debates in society. Are the interest groups dominated? "Lan asked harshly.

"The thermal power under power planning of adjustment VII has been backward, it needs to be adjusted as soon as possible," said Tomaso Andreatta, the Chairman of EuroCham's Green Growth Subcommittee, the next issue is privatization, it means that opening the market to the parties and considering the various options without being basing on a project, i.e. coal-fired thermal power plant.

Adding to this, the economist Pham Chi Lan said that while the industrial revolution was growing, there was still the idea of making solar electricity. Wind power was more expensive than coal to try to keep coal electricity. But I think that Vietnam's way of producing the coal-fired power is destruction now because this trend is not only against the general trend, badly affecting the environment, but also pushes Vietnam to depend on the only source of China. When China shut down the coal-fired power plants, they have a big incentive to turn coal power plants to other countries. Disasters, the real price of Chinese technology is expensive or cheap, the observation of Cat Linh railway can be clearly seen, and the capital is more expensive three times than the initial investment. "That's why coal-fired power is expensive and not cheap, and Vietnam should not depend on the single supply source of the device of coal-fired power plants of China," she said.

With these arguments, many experts agree about the view that coal is not the only option to ensure the energy security. So, it is necessary to change the thermal power under power planning (QHD) of adjustment VII immediately, balancing energy sources not only focuses on coal energy as today. The shift to green growth is a necessity for Vietnam, this is a shortcut for Vietnam to go up, not necessarily following the long roadmap of the country, polluting it and then being aware of reducing minimal environmental impact.

By 2020, the price of solar power, wind power can be commercialized at a high degree, roughly equivalent to coal power. So why do not we wait for 3 more years so that the price of the solar energy prices can be widely applied? Keeping remaining the thermal power under power planning (QHD) of adjustment VII. Meanwhile, it takes decades to make this plan, why not adjust? ".