In 2010, the company was upgraded to Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation (EVN HCMC) by the Ministry of Industry and Trade, becoming one of five electricity distribution corporations in the country. In the past years, the city's electricity sector has moved forward with firm steps on the path of modernising the power system, aggressively applying information technology (IT ) to power supply management, and comprehensively reforming customer service quality. As a result, the corporation has always ensured the sufficient power supply of growing quality and more utility and therefore contributed extensively to the successful achievement of the city's socioeconomic development objectives.

By the end of 2016, per capita electricity consumption reached 2,600 kWh a year, about 1.5 times the national average. The system has a maximum capacity is 3,930 MW, while it has a loss rate of 4.16 per cent. The system capacity is 6 times higher than that in 1995 with a higher degree of redundancy. The national grid has covered the entire city, even the most remote area of Thanh An island commune, Can Gio district.

The corporation has completed Criterion 4 on electricity supply for all districts included in the new rural area programme of Ho Chi Minh City. Particularly, the corporation switched on two typical projects called “Construction of an 22kV underground sea-crossing cable system to supply power in Thanh An commune, Can Gio district" (April 2015) and “Construction of a new 22kV forest-crossing transmission line to supply power to Thieng Lieng island village, Thanh An island commune, Can Gio district” (April 2016), with a total investment capital of more than VND240 billion, thus bringing electricity to islands in Thanh An commune and Thieng Lieng island village, Can Gio district.

In addition, during the 2011-2016 period, the corporation carried out 124 underground power grid projects in some downtown streets in Ho Chi Minh City, placing underground 474.2 km medium voltage lines and 807.6 km of low voltage lines, thereby significantly improving the beauty of urban landscape. Up to now, 31 per cent of medium voltage lines and 13 per cent of low voltage lines have been placed underground. Notably, the underground rate in District 1 and District 3 reached over 90 per cent, 80 per cent in District 5 and 60 per cent in District 4, District 10 and District 11.

The corporation also completed the advanced SCADA grid operating system (at the end of 2016), gradually realised the target of automating the power grid and supervising remote switches. According to the roadmap, in 2016, 23 out of 50 stations were shifted to automated models; 12 stations were remotely controlled; eight switch stations were remotely monitored; 255 reclosers were remotely monitored (52 reclosers were remotely controlled). The corporation completed installation of remote meters at intermediate stations and boundary meter points (1,102 meters points of intermediate stations);

EVN HCMC set specific targets for the period from now to 2020: "Ensuring adequate and stable power supply with higher-quality service to better serve the city’s sustainable development requirements; enhancing management capacity, efficiently use all resources and building up its capacity on par with other power corporations of advanced countries in the region.”

To deliver the above objectives, the corporation is actively implementing the Project “Improving business efficiency and productivity in the 2016-2020 period,” focusing on achieving the following tasks:

First, speeding up modernisation and automation of the power system. The corporation will concentrate on improving investment quality and efficiency to build a flexible and highly automated power system; carry out a choice of technical solutions, applying modern technologies to reduce power failures and outages, and enhancing the reliability of electricity supply to customers.

Second, focusing on human resources development. In particular, the corporation will centrally train leading experts of regional and international qualifications for key areas like building live lines, operating smart grid, operating automated meter reading (AMR) and advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) systems; developing power grid checking and controlling applications, solving geographic information system (GIS) services; and operating the power market to master new technologies.

Third, constantly improving the quality of electricity supply services, focusing on customer service. Key solutions are: Actively advancing administrative reform to make breakthroughs in customer service procedures and processes with three “easy” criteria: Easy to access services, easy to join services and easy to monitor; and speeding up electronic transactions. In particular, in 2017, the corporation will continue to improve access to electricity under the direction of the Prime Minister on carrying out of major tasks and solutions on enhancing business environment and national competitiveness in 2017, with a vision to 2020, as stated in the Government’s Resolution 19-2017/NQ-CP dated February 6, 2017. Currently, the corporation has completed the process of supplying electricity through medium-voltage network; joining relevant bodies to develop a cross-sector agreement, according to which the corporation will implement the principle of “Supplying power according to the capacity ad schedule legitimately requested by customers”, as follows.

For customers with urgent and legitimate demand for electricity; the corporation will have to supply electricity to them within 24 hours after the time of receiving their requests (using mobile transformers, 3-phase power meters).

If customer demand is equal or below 160kVA, the corporation will supply electricity to them via 3-phase electricity meters (deployment time: three days or less). If it exceeds 160kVA, the corporation will supply electricity to them via 3-phase electricity meters (deployment time: three days or less) or in the form of specialised power project investment.

As for works invested by customers, the corporation will create two procedures, including an agreement on full connection within 24 hours from the moment at which the request is received and a note of acceptance of power connection within two days. As for works invested by the power sector, customers only need to register power connection in given forms provided online to get it done. The corporation will proactively calculate appropriate investment value, as well as consult on a shift to MBA if they do not use up the registered capacity. The corporation will carry out this work within eight days, including a feasibility report within three days and deployment and commissioning within five days. State agencies will carry out two procedures at most with customers within five working days according to the cross-sector agreement. In addition, when customers have any request for power supply, they can go to any regional power companies to register or call to the customer service centre at 1900545454, to register or visit the cskh.hcmpc.vn website to register. All services are free.

Fourth, improving corporate governance and productivity. The corporation will further perfect the organisational structure and management mechanism to improve operational efficiency, ensure stronger and more transparent financial capacity. The corporate culture values are maintained and promoted at a high level to build up its reputation, image and prestige. The corporation will lean its workforce, rationalise every production stage and step and pay attention to improving working conditions and environment so as to motivate working and stimulate creativity.

Fifth, accelerating information technology application and development for sustainable development and international integration. The corporation aims to computerise all business lines with the aim of creating complete shareable analysable database to serve decision-making of the leadership and achieve basic criteria of an e-commerce business in 2020.

Sixth, strengthening communications, raising social corporate responsibility (CSR) by enhancing its initiative and activeness in providing information to the press and media; expanding modern information channels via social networks to timely inform press, media and customers of the power sector’s activities and improvements; continue to carry out social programmes such as the communication programme on safe power use and energy efficiency, the programme on application of right power prices for house-renting labourers and students, the programme on free repair of electricity and care of the poor, the programme on support for Truong Sa Islands, and many other social policies.
N.Nga

Source: vccinews.vn