The ongoing heatwave has pushed Ho Chi Minh City’s daily electricity consumption to record highs over the past few days.

The Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation forecasts that power consumption in the city could exceed 100 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) per day in the coming days due to the higher demand given the unrelenting heat. 

Since the southern metropolis entered the hot period in March, the volume of consumed power in the city has skyrocketed and surpassed the record set at 94.8 million kWh on May 6, 2023.

The city used over 95.12 million kWh of electricity on April 3, its highest daily power consumption level.

On April 4, the electricity consumption hit a new high of 95.17 million kWh, which was surpassed by a new record of 96.89 million kWh a day later.

The city recorded daily power consumption of over 97.87 million kWh on April 9, an increase of more than three million kWh from the 2023 peak.

Statistics from the city’s power industry indicated that Ho Chi Minh City saw its average electricity consumption in March reach 84.84 million kWh a day, a 8.31-percent year-on-year jump.

The city’s power consumption in the first three months of 2024 expanded nearly 11 percent year on year, making the growth the highest in over 10 years.

The demand for power by manufacturers in the city grew 5.3 percent, while the demand of households surged 15 percent.

Bui Trung Kien, deputy head of the Ho Chi Minh City Power Corporation, said that the scorching heat was to blame for the spike in power consumption in the city.

The baking heat sent the demand for air conditioning and electric fans up, resulting in monthly power bills soaring, he explained.

Kien called on residents and firms to save power to ensure the electricity system can run well.

Residents should turn off unnecessary electric appliances and regularly clean these devices in a bid to reduce power consumption.

Air conditioners should be set at 26 degrees Celsius or higher, turned on one hour later than the office opening time, and turned off one hour earlier than the office closing time.

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