In March 2012, Vietnam approved a project to evaluate the coal reserves of the Red River basin, which will be implemented from 2012 to 2015.
The project will be carried out in six northern provinces of Thai Binh, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Hai Phong and Ha Nam, covering over 2,700 sq.km . The project aims to determine the real reserves of the Red River coal basin, which has been estimated to have up to 210 billion tonnes of coal, 20 times the reserves of Quang Ninh, Vietnam’s current largest coal mining area. Up to 90 percent of the coal reserves are located in Thai Binh province. The project result will be the basis for further exploration. The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will develop the project.
According to Mr Pham Manh Thang, General Director of the General Department of Energy (Ministry of Industry and Trade), the Red River Delta coal basin has a large reserve. The Ministry of Industry and Trade has assigned the State-owned Vietnam National Coal, Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) to re-evaluate exactly how much coal is in the basin and to propose solutions for future coal extraction.
The colossal coal reserve under the Red River Delta will be harnessed to serve rising domestic demand. Vinacomin is preparing exploration and production plans to tap this huge coal basin. Vinacomin cited explorative and analytic data saying that the coal basin lies thousands of metres underground. The reserve is much larger than the coal basin now being exploited in northeast Vietnam.
In addition, while providing a coal extraction target is to ensure energy security, the coal industry development plan also considers environmental protection and food security issues. When building coal extraction projects in the Red River Delta, the coal industry will apply technological solutions that ensure that the least land possible is used in order to minimize the impact on Red River Delta food production, Thang said.
Based on tectonic blocks and natural conditions, the entire Red River coal basin is divided into eight coal beds, with three in Hung Yen province, four in Thai Binh and one in Nam Dinh. These coal beds will be divided into coal mines whose reserves are enough for continuous production over 50-100 years. Each coal mine will have an annual output of 3 - 10 million tons.
The reserve of the Red River basin is huge but Vietnam, given its resources and technologies, is now capable of exploiting 65 billion tonnes covering on some 1,200 square kilometres. In addition, Vinacomin will develop the Red River coal basin, using advanced technological solutions in all stages, from geological exploration to commercial production and processing, to preserve residential and industrial works on the ground and avoid major impacts on land subsidence, groundwater sources, and mineral water.
The coal industry needs to plan strategically, so a holistic orientation was taken and specific solutions need to be developed and approved when it is drafted. However, coal in this basin will be extracted carefully, from small to large projects, to ensure both short-term and long-term benefits. Currently, the exploration of the Red River Delta coal basin is in a test period. The test extraction will be focused on areas with large reserves and favorable extraction conditions to ensure environmental and food security protection. After the test period, specific solutions to ensure harmony between coal extraction and food security issues would be found.
Ngoc Ly
Vietnamese
