Regulations on stopping power supply from February 2025

The Lao Dong Newspaper Legal Consulting Office replied:

Article 49 of the 2024 Electricity Law (effective from February 1, 2025) stipulates the suspension and reduction of electricity supply for electricity customers as follows:

1. The suspension or reduction of electricity supply to electricity customers must comply with the provisions of law and signed electricity purchase contracts. The electricity buyer and the electricity seller must agree on the cases of stopping and reducing the electricity supply level and the form of notification of stopping and reducing the electricity supply level in the electricity purchase and sale contract.

2. Cases of suspension or reduction of power supply include:

a) When an force majeure event occurs, an incident that the electricity seller cannot control that poses a risk of seriously endangering the safety of people, equipment or due to a lack of power sources that threaten the safety of the power system, the electricity seller is allowed to stop or reduce the supply level; must notify the power supply status and the expected time to restore power to the electricity buyer within 24 hours from the time of stopping or reducing the power supply level;

b) When there is a need for repair, maintenance or other needs as planned, the electricity seller is responsible for notifying the electricity buyer at least 05 days in advance of the time of stopping or reducing the electricity supply level by the form of notification agreed upon in the electricity purchase and sale contract;

c) Failure to pay the electricity bill as prescribed in Clause 4, Article 48 of this Law;

d) At the request of a competent state agency in case an organization or individual violates the provisions of this Law or the provisions of another law and must apply the measure of stopping power supply according to the provisions of that Law.

3. The Minister of Industry and Trade shall specify in detail the procedures for stopping and reducing the power supply level prescribed in Clause 2 of this Article.

Thus, the suspension of power supply to electricity customers from February 2025 is regulated as above.