(Photo: Wikimedia Commons)
After Vietnam's nationwide electricity usage hit a record high in late April, the local government is concerned about a potential recurrence of power shortages. Authorities have requested businesses and enterprises to implement power-saving measures, including large foreign investments. Reportedly, the world's largest electronics contract manufacturer, Foxconn, has also received orders, hoping it can voluntarily reduce its electricity consumption by 30%.
As the world faces labor shortages, Vietnam, with its abundant young workforce, is considered the "world's next factory." However, during the summer of last year (2023), high temperatures combined with maintenance shutdowns at several coal-fired power plants led to widespread power cuts and outages in the northern region, causing losses of $1.4 billion. Despite repeated assurances from Vietnamese officials that such issues would not recur, preventive measures still seem inevitable.
