(Photo: VCG / CGTN)

Vietnam's southern region may face power shortages in the coming decade, according to Electricity of Vietnam (EVN), the country's biggest producer and sole distributor.

The electricity supply for 2019-2020 can be ensured, but oil-fired thermal power plants would have to generate approximately 4.4 billion kWh by 2019 and 5.2 billion kWh by 2020, Vietnamese newspaper Vietnam News quoted EVN deputy general director Ngo Son Hai as saying on Friday.

Hai said power shortages may continue to increase up to 2025 under scenarios including high loads or the volume of water in reservoirs being lower than previous years. Furthermore, some gas projects are being conducted slowly compared with the plan.

"Each of the coal-fired power plants, with a total capacity of 1,200 MW in the south facing slow progress, will worsen the shortage by 7.2-7.5 billion kWh per year," he said.

According to EVN, to meet electricity demand for socioeconomic development up to this year, EVN has completed 40 power plants with a total capacity of 20,586 MW.

By the end of 2018, the total installed capacity of the sector is expected to reach 47,768MW, 5.4 times higher than in 2003, ranking second in ASEAN, after Indonesia, and 25th in the world.

It is forecast that up to 2030, demand for electricity will continue to grow at a high level. The electricity sector will need to ensure between 265-278 billion kWh by 2020 and around 572-632 billion kWh by 2030.

Thus, the annual growth rate from 2016 to 2020 is 10.3-11.3 percent, and about 8-8.5 percent in the 2021-2030 period.

According to Vietnam's latest electricity development plans, from 2018 to 2022, the total capacity of the planned power sources is 34,864 MW, of which thermal power makes up 26,000 MW.

Hai said that only seven coal-fired power plants with a capacity of 7,860 MW were currently under construction. Coal-fired thermal power plants with a total capacity of 18,000-26,000 MW are expected to be operational in the next five years.