Vietnam begins to strongly increase coal import

At present, Indonesia is a country which exports coal with an large volume for Vietnam. As planned, only Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) will import coal as about 5 million tons in 2017, 11 million tons by 2020 and 19 million tons by 2025 (about 1/3 of total import coal volume of Vietnam).  

This information was announced at the workshop “Vietnam – Indonesia Coal Industry – Ensuring Economic Development and Energy Security” jointly organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Hanoi and Vietnam Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

The presentations at workshop showed that, in the first five months of 2017, Vietnam imported 5.57 million tons of coal, worth US$ 577.218 million, decreased 4.7 percent in volume but increased 58.3 percent in value.

According to Ngo Son Hai, Deputy General Director of EVN, in 2016 EVN started to import coal for Duyen Hai 3 thermal power plant (TPP) – the first plant under EVN using import coal. At present, the Government assigns EVN to build and manage Vinh Tan, Duyen Hai 3 and 4 (expansion) TPP which use import coal. Ensuring steady coal supply for the Duyen Hai 3 TPP is an issue that EVN is particularly concerned about.

Currently, besides EVN, in Vietnam there are TPPs of foreign investors, Petrovietnam, Vinacomin VN, TKV also using import coal.

According to the project “Vietnam Coal Industry Development Planning to 2020 and project till 2030”, by 2020 coal demand for domestic production will reach about 75 million tons. However, domestic coal source can meet only about half of the demand. Therefore, import coal will reach tens million tons by 2020 and up to about 120 million tons by 2030.