Vietnam to Import 80M-100M Tons of Coal to Fuel Power Plants by 2020
Vietnam, a coal exporting country, will have to import between 80 million and 100 million tons of coal to feed its power plants by 2020, according to the Minister of Industry and Trade, Vu Huy Hoang.
Vietnam is forecast to need around 9.2 million tons of coal for thermal power plants across the country in 2013.
The country, however, is still boosting coal exports, even though it is forecast to have to import coal beginning in 2013, and it has not yet reached any coal importation agreements abroad.
Still, the energy efficiency of coal-fired and gas-fuelled power plants across Vietnam is estimated at only between 28% and 32%, which is 10% lower than similarly fueled plants in developed countries, Do Huu Hao, Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade, said.
The energy efficiency of industrial steam furnaces across the country is estimated at around 60%, which is 20% lower than the average level in other countries, Hao added.
In order to produce the same amount of power, production plants in Vietnam have to use an energy volume that is between 1.5 times and 1.7 times higher than those used by developed nations, said Commissioner for Science, Technology and Environment, Dang Vu Minh.
The gloomy prospect rings an alarm bell to urge Vietnamese authorities to take drastic measures to cut or even stop coal exports and to develop a national coal reserve warehouse to prepare for the increasing energy needs of the future, experts said. (Young People)
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