Vietnam: Need to import coal comes early

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The need to import parallels the country’s demand for electricity, which is expected to increase by 17-20 per cent a year, according to a report by the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Due to the country’s rising reliance on thermal power generation and the Government’s increasing power generation targets, much more coal than is currently being produced domestically would be needed. Dr. Pham Khanh Toan, director of the Institute of Energy of Viet Nam, said at a recent international conference in Ha Noi.

Toan said that the sector was already failing to meet Government targets as in the fourth quarter of 2009 the domestic electricity industry produced an extra 1,400 MW instead of the targeted additional 3.393MW.

Toan said this year’s total output would be much lower than the Government’s target.

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