Vietnam will continue to purchase electricity from China until 2010, mainly to serve its northern localities, Vietnam News Agency reported Wednesday.

Under a recent memorandum of understanding on extending an electricity import contract, Vietnam will buy electricity from China via a high-tension line with a capacity of 66 MW and annual output of more than 300 million kWh.

The memorandum was signed on Tuesday by the Electricity Company No. 1 under the state-owned corporation Electricity of Vietnam ( EVN) and Guangxi Electric Power Group Co. Ltd. under the China Southern Power Grid.

Vietnam is accelerating construction of transmission lines and transformer stations for the purchase of electricity from China, said the EVN.

Vietnam imported 283 million kWh of electricity from China in the first half of this year to serve six of its northern provinces, including Quang Ninh and Ha Giang.

Source: Xinhua