EVN NPC, a half century of development

Historical imprints

EVN NPC, formerly known as Power Company No 1, was established on October 6, 1969, undertaking to deliver electricity to the north and operating with an independent accounting scheme.

Facing the destructive results of the war, the company faced many difficulties in its early years due to a shortage of facilities and outdated equipment. After the first stage of the war (1964-1968), total power output only reached 68MW. Fighting in 1972 destroyed and damaged many power plants. However, the company managed to resume production, consolidate management and organization structure, and expand new electricity works of higher capacity to serve the country’s economic development demand. By the end of 1973, total power output had increased to 231MW.

The year 1975 marked the end of the Vietnam War. Vietnam had two more power companies in the central and southern regions. During the 1976-1980 period, the company continued to restore and expand available power facilities and at the same time constructed and put into operation thermal and hydroelectricity projects, such as Pha Lai and Hoa Binh. It also upgraded grid systems and was responsible for helping power companies in the central and southern regions. By the end of 1980, power output reached 590.4MW.

Before moving under the umbrella of the Vietnam Electricity Corporation (now the Vietnam Electricity Group) in the 1990s, the company built a wide power source and grid system, bringing electricity to eight cities, 19 provinces, 14 districts, 469 towns (93.69 percent of total towns), 72 percent of total communes, 74 percent of rural households, and a province bordering Laos. It also contributed positively to the construction and completion of the 500kV North-South transmission line circuit 1.

EVN NPC General Director Do Nguyet Anh said EVN NPC has contributed to every development step of the power industry, deserving to be considered the cradle of Vietnam’s power industry.

New development

Apart from business tasks, EVN NPC has to implement major targets assigned by the government and party for power connections and trading to every region, contributing to reducing poverty, promoting the plan to electrify the entire countryside and agriculture, and better implementing the new rural area construction programs. By the end of 2018, EVN NPC had connected 100 percent of the communes and 98.3 percent of the households to the national grid.

The corporation has also raised several trillion dongs to invest in key power supply projects for large industrial zones in the provinces of Bac Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Vinh Phuc, Nghe An, and Ha Tinh.

EVN NPC has performed well in optimizing costs, enhancing capital efficiency, boosting productivity, strengthening the application of science and technology in management and production, modernizing power grid systems, reducing power losses, and improving reliability of power supply.

In addition, the corporation has paid great attention to customer service quality, such as putting the Customer Care Center into operation, implementing various reforms to improve customer service, simplifying procedures and promoting transparency and publicity of power services, and improving access to the power grid.

According to Do Nguyet Anh, the power industry will face many challenges, including growing power needs and schedule delays of key power source and grid projects. Though the country has a national energy development plan until 2035 with the target of developing a competitive energy market, implementation has not kept pace with the roadmap.

To overcome challenges, EVN NPC is striving to improve labor productivity to a level equivalent to other countries in the region, while enhancing customer satisfaction further, Anh said.