Vietnam to Have to Import Coal from 2013: Vinacomin
Vietnam will have to import coal from 2013 to meet increasing domestic demand, the Vietnam News Agency-run Viet Nam News reported, citing the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin).
Coal import is calculated at 34 million tons in 2015, 114 million tons in 2020 and 228 million tons in 2025.
The demand for electricity is expected to increase by 17 per cent-20 per cent per year and thermal power plants will need more imported coal.
Demand for coal in power production is estimated to hit 32.5 million tons in 2013 and 44 million tons in 2015.
In the 2012-2017 period, the domestic coal supply will be short of about 11 million tons each year.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade said that industrial coal is being used inefficiently by the plants’ out-of-date engines.
Currently, the domestic coal output is 40 million tons per year with 50 per cent for domestic demand and the rest for export.
Thermo-power plants alone consume six million tons of coal annually. (VNS, dantri.com)
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