The country launched the market last July in amove to shift the State’s monopoly of power supply to a morecompetitive market system.
As such, power plants withcapacities reaching 30MW or above (except wind or thermal powered ones)are eligible to join the market by selling their product to the ElectricPower Trading Company (EPTC) under the management of State power firmVietnam Electricity (EVN).
EPTC – the single buyer inthe country’s power market – in turn sells off electricity todistribution or retail companies from whom customers can buy electricityfor daily use.
Speaking at a meeting on February 21,Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai asked relevant agencies tofinalise procedures allowing the participation of the new sellers, thushelping to raise the power market’s competitiveness.
Hai said that the initiative is creating transparency by mobilisingpower sources and ensuring that selling prices are based on supply anddemand rather than the subsidised mechanisms that were adopted in thepast.
Under the seven-month-old system, power plantswhich offer lower prices will be given priority to sell theirelectricity. A network among plants and the EPTC has been set up toupdate market information and estimate demand and potential supply.
At present, among 73 generators on the market, 32 generators directlysell power to the single distributors. Meanwhile, indirect tradersinclude multi-purpose hydro-power plants, East Start Reserve, Cold StatReserve and Reliability Must Runs.
The head ofElectricity of Vietnam’s Market management Department Tran Dang Khoasaid that the new market participants need to improve system security,flood control at hydro-power plants and the water supply for lowlandrivers.
Vietnam’s electricity market is planned todevelop in three stages - a competitive power generation market(completed by 2014), a competitive wholesale market (2014-10) and acompetitive retail market (after 2022).-VNA