Due to the rising volume of coal ashes produced by thermal power plants, Deputy Prime Minister Trinh Dinh Dung noted that it was necessary to change the way of handling these ashes, while a representative of a firm underscored the need for a new system governing the consumption of the waste, according to the Vietnam News Agency.

A cement production line is seen at a factory in a photo file. Coal ashes from power plants are also a key material for cement producers

The inventory of coal ashes at thermal power plants nationwide has reached 33 million tons, covering an area of some 740 hectares, while four million tons of gypsum from fertilizer factories is also in stock.

However, the total consumption of the waste from manufacturing construction materials amounted to a mere 3.5 million tons, much lower than the increasing volume of the waste being discharged, creating a high risk of pollution.

The inventory of coal ashes is a major problem requiring a long-term plan and close collaboration between the competent agencies and firms, Dung told a conference on the construction industry.

The investment in coal-fired thermal power plant projects is much lower than the funding poured into other thermal power projects, Dung stated, adding that if large inventories of coal ashes remain unresolved, the thermal power plants will find it hard to develop further.

Dung also asked departments, agencies and scientists to research the issue and present an effective solution that applies technology and efficiently uses coal ashes for manufacturing construction materials.

While executing the Government’s plan to boost the treatment and use of coal ashes from thermal power plants, various participating firms faced a series of obstacles.

General Director of Vietnam Cement Industry Corporation Bui Hong Minh proposed that the Government and the relevant ministries and departments launch appropriate policies and a new system for the consumption of coal ashes.

Multiple cement manufacturers have said that the supply of coal ashes, used as a material for cement production, is unstable. Despite the large volume of discarded coal ashes, the volume of standard ashes for producing cement and clinker remains limited.

Besides this, thermal power plants sometimes fail to provide their regular partners with enough coal ashes as their production depends on the market’s energy needs, Minh stated.

SGT