Vietnam Sets Coal Production Goals until 2025
Vietnam Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung has recently approved development plans for the country’s coalmining industry in 2006-2025 period, a part of a comprehensive national energy development strategy until 2015 and vision to 2025.
The country is expected to produce 46 million tons of coal to 2010, 46-50 million tons to 2015, 57-63 million tons to 2020 and 59-66 million tons to 2025.
To realize the goal, the coal industry will maximally raise output in open cast mines, which contribute 60 per cent of the total output, said an official of the country’s top miner Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group, or Vinacomin.
Vinacomin is now operating six open cast mines with capacity of 800,000-1,500,000 tons/year and seven pit mines with capacity of 1 million tons/year.
In January-August this year, it raked out 26.6 million tons of coal, 15.9 million of which was to export, up 15.5 per cent and 22 per cent on- year, respectively.
Vietnam unearthed 38.9 million tons in 2006, down 2 per cent on- year, reported government’s General Statistics Office.
The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecast that Vietnam will have to import coal for domestic consumption with estimated 1.3 million tons in 2010, 5.9 million tons in 2015, 15.4 million tons in 2020 and 54.4 million tons in 2025.
The country is measured to have 3.63 billion tons of coal. (MoF, GSO Aug 2007)
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