Unlike many provinces and cities which often have power cut in the hot dry season, Hai Phong is still light. Most people in the city don’t have to face power outage. This was because Hai Phong Electricity has creatively issued "quotas" for electricity.

 
In a room without air conditioning and windows wide opened, Mr. Le Ngoc Thiep, Director of Hai Phong Electricity Co., Ltd revealed their solution: "To avoid power outages, we issue quotas and limits for each electricity consumption household and each residential area. If their electricity usage is within their quotas, electricity will not be cut".

Viet Uc Steel Joint Venture Company carries most of its production during off-peak hours

In April 2010, Hai Phong is distributed only 7.75 million kWh per day, while it will consume between 9-10 million kWh per day to meet all its demands. "The quota must be transparent. We share all the electricity output we have so that the clients will sympathize and support electricity sector," said Mr. Thiep.

"Our staff daily collects the meter figures of every neighborhood, every factory, then reports to the leader of the neighborhood or the board of directors of the factory. If a unit is approaching the threshold limits, it will have to adjust production plans in case of factories. For families, the leader will go to each household to remind them of electricity-saving. If some households use too much electricity, it will lead to local power cut,” said Mr. Ngo Van Manh, Deputy Director of Le Chan Electricity Company.

 
Factories and enterprises also responded to the policy as it makes them active in production. Hai Phong Cement Company, for example, has changed technology to save energy and reduced electricity consumption from 140kWh/ton to 108kWh/ton. Mr. Alan Young, General Director of Viet Uc Steel Joint Venture, disclosed that his company stops production during peak hours from 5 pm to 9 pm to save 20% power consumption. "Steel-laminating process uses AC electricity, not generator, so if we do not save, power cut will stop our factory completely,” said Mr. Young.

“The best way for us is to cooperate with electricity sector. We promise to consume within the power quota to avoid power cut so that we can keep our continuous production", a manager admitted.

Kap Thanh Long