Vietnam coal imports off to an early start
(VOV) - Vietnam has imported its first coal for 2015 to help generate electricity to keep up with rising business and consumer demand, Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Holding Corporation (Vinacomin) General Director Dang Thanh Hai has said.
Hai said the company recently imported 41,000 tonnes of anthracite coal from Russia adding that, imported coal is expected to play an increasingly larger role in meeting the increasing demand.
In the past Vietnam has relied solely on domestic coal, but supplies are proving increasingly more difficult and costly to retrieve. It has become more cost effective to import cheaper coal from other countries than mine domestic coal.
Vinacomin has recently placed orders to import coal from Indonesia and Australia to meet commitments to fuel the Vinh Tan 4 and Duyen Hai 3 power plants for Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and to bump up its stockpiled inventories.
For calendar year 2015, Vinacomin plans on consuming 38 million tonnes of coal to ensure it meets the demands of energy for the economy, Hai concluded.