Environment

Climate crisis

Heat wave in Vietnam: Hanoi in the dark to avoid the collapse of the electricity grid

Record temperatures led to a surge in energy demand

30/05/2023

The scorching heat, unusual for the season, with temperatures reaching 38 degrees Celsius, is putting Vietnam's electricity grid in crisis due to the surge in demand.

To avoid collapse, public lighting in the capital Hanoi and other cities has been drastically reduced and the authorities are pushing industries to produce during off-peak hours, when overall electricity demand is lower, to ease pressure on the national grid operated by the state-owned Vietnam Electricity (EVN).

To address the problem, in the capital, the duration of public lighting has been reduced by one hour a day and lighting on some main roads and in public parks has been halved. Government offices have been urged to reduce energy consumption by a tenth.

According to forecasts of meteorologists, the anomalous heat wave could last until June.