A Ha Noi Power Corporation worker under the Electricity of Vietnam installs electric meters. The group said sufficient electricity would be ensured during this month. — VNA/VNS Photo Ngoc Ha

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — Electricity for production purposes in the first 11 months of 2015 reached nearly 61.73 billion kWh, a year-on-year rise of 8.78 per cent, the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) said.

The group said sufficient, stable and safe electricity supply was ensured during the period to aid national socio-economic development, as well as cultural and political events, especially the recently concluded 10th session of the 13th National Assembly.

The power system operated continuously and there was standby power, the EVN said.

The total commercial electricity output was estimated at 131.33 billion kWh from January to November, a yearly increase of 11.73 per cent. The electricity supplied to industry and construction sectors rose by 10.94 per cent, while that for trade went up by 22.96 per cent, for agriculture by 23.95 per cent, and for management and consumption by 10.93 per cent.

The EVN said it would ensure sufficient electricity in December. The power system will make the maximum use of hydropower reservoirs, as well as thermal power and gas turbine plants.

The group will take over the management of the power system in Bach Long Vi Island in the northern port city of Hai Phong this month, while accelerating the project to connect rural areas in central Nghe An Province to the national grid from 2014 to 2016. Sixteen local communes will have electricity by the end of this year.

According to research by the World Bank's Doing Business programme, Viet Nam's electricity access index in 2015 leaped 22 places against the previous year, putting the country in 108th place out of 189 global economies.

The time taken for supplying electricity to customers is 59 days, better than that of Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Cambodia and Myanmar, besides Laos. — VNS