Vietnam aims to raise its coal production to 55-58 million tons by 2015 until 2020, from an estimated 45-47 million tons in 2012, according to a development plan set forward by the Vietnam coal industry and approved by the Prime Minister.
The development plan projects coal production to rise 60-65 million tons by 2020 and to more than 75 million tons by 2030.
The country will mine about 55-58 million tons of coal from the North East basin and some other coal mines till 2015 and maintain an output of 65 million tons until 2025, as stated in the plan.
Trial mining will be conducted in the Red River basin in 2015. About 0.5-1 million tons of coal is expected to be mined in the Red River basin by 2020 and more than 10 million tons by 2030.
Coal will be the major fuel for generating electricity for the next five years, accounting for 47 percent of power generation by 2020, Electricity of Vietnam stated.
