VietNamNet Bridge - Vietnam continues to open thermal power plants despite a warning about pollution and the lack of coal in the future. 

The Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) said Vietnam will continue developing coal-run thermal power plants in the upcoming years despite the anticipated impact on the environment, as no better solution has been found.

The Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) on July 28 announced that its thermal power plants had  coal reserves for only 4.5 to 20 days of use. 

The Vietnam Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) said that coal transport had become jammed because of heavy floods in Quang Ninh province. 

However, analysts say the coal shortage will occur, sooner or later, even if floods do not occur in Quang Ninh, where mining is carried out. 

They cited reports that say that coal reserves would be exhausted by 2025.

Dr. Nguyen Xuan Khien, former head of the Geology and Minerals Science Institute, said that thermal power plants were a solution for now but not a sustainable solution because of limited raw materials and pollution.

“It’s strange that Vietnam still continues building more coal thermal plants,” Khien said.

In fact, coal mines exist not only in Quang Ninh but in Thai Nguyen and the northwestern region as well. But all of them are small plants. 

Vietnam will be forced to import coal to feed all of the thermal power plants.

An expert said domestic sources can only satisfy 30 percent of demand, and if the current exploitation scale is maintained, Vietnam will run out of coal by 2025.

It was once thought that Vietnam’s coal reserves were sufficient to exploit for 1,000 years, as 2 million tons at maximum were estimated to be needed in 1939. 

However, scientists have pointed out that if Vietnam exploits 280 million tons a year like Poland, the reserves would be enough for only seven years.

The Red River coal basin reserves are not as high as initially thought.

The coal basin was discovered prior to 1975, and the reserves were estimated at 200 billion tons. However, scientists have said the reserves amount to about 30 billion tons.

Meanwhile, Khien said though the Red River coal basin is the largest in Vietnam, it will be difficult to exploit coal there because the coal is located at a depth of 300-3,000 meters.

“If the coal there is exploited with the same technology as the one applied in Quang Ninh, the Red River Delta will suffer from serious subsidence,” he said.

Dat Viet