The Ministry of Industry and Trade recently held a press conference to announce the Prime Minister’s Decision 403 on approval of revisions to the coal industry development plan to 2020, with a vision to 2030.
Mr Nguyen Khac Tho, Deputy General Director of the General Directorate of Energy under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, said, unlike the previous master plan, the Government underlines the objective of reducing coal loss for the first time. Specifically, the coal loss ratio in tunnel mining will be lowered to 20 per cent by 2020 and below 20 per cent after 2020. The coal loss ratio in opencast extraction method will be reduced to 5 per cent by 2020 and below 5 per cent after 2020.
He said the coal industry development objective is ensuring sufficient coal supply for local demand, especially coal for electricity production and above all energy security. To have enough financial sources, the revised plan takes into account different plans, including socialisation and diversification of capital mobilisation forms. These capital sources are mainly used for new production and production expansion. Funds will come from own capital, commercial loans, concessional loans and fundraising from the stock market.
In the current context, Vietnam has to face with numerous difficulties arising from limited resources, falling coal and energy prices. Thus, to ensure the achievement of defined objectives, the Ministry of Industry and Trade directed the Vietnam National Coal, Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) to integrate more deeply into the world coal market. In addition, the group will step up survey, exploration and assessment of domestic resource and coal reserves to prepare for sustainable coal industry development while conducting research, development and application of advanced technologies to coal exploration, production , processing and consumption; applying advanced technical measures to reduce the rate of coal loss in mining, he emphasised.
According to the coal industry development plan to 2020, with a vision to 2030, the coal sector will need approximately VND269 trillion of investment capital to 2030 or an average of VND17.93 trillion a year. And, the investment capital from now to 2020 will be more than VND95 trillion (more than VND19 trillion a year) and over VND172 trillion in the 2021-2030 phase (VND17 trillion a year).
The plan also states that the coal exploration in Dong Bac Basin will be completed at the depth of 300 metres (e.g. Bao Dai, Dong Trieu - Pha Lai, Cuoc Be, Dong Quang Loi mines) or above 300 metres to have good commercial reserves by 2020. The exploration at the coal bed floor will be finished by the end of 2025 to ensure enough coal for extraction through 2030.
In the Red River coal basin, the exploration will be completed in Nam Thinh and Nam Phu 2 mine in Tien Hai district, Thai Binh province before 2020 to lay the groundwork for launching testing projects. Testing projects will be expanded to facilitate deeper researches on production technologies and other factors.
The coal industry will extract 41-44 million tonnes in 2016; 47-50 million tonnes in 2020; 51-54 million tonnes in 2025; and 55-57 million tonnes in 2030. Notably, in the Red River coal basin, testing will be carried out in 2021-2030.
Given existing difficulties against the coal industry, especially coal shortage for electricity production, the official from the General Directorate of Energy estimated that the coal industry will have to import 4 million tonnes of coal in 2017 and over 20 million tonnes in 2030.
According to the plan, commercial coal output will be dramatically slashed to 47-50 million tonnes in 2020 and then raised to 55-57 million tonnes in 2030.
Huong Ly
Vietnamese
