Vietnam’s Deputy Prime Minister,Trinh Di`nh Dung, has given his blessing to the proposed coal port in the country’s southern region. The Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Ministry of Transport will now head a task force that will produce a construction feasibility report.

The proposed port will move coal to thermo-electricity power plants in the C u Long (Mekong) Delta region.
Vietnam’s national electricity development master plan states that the Mekong Delta region will have seven major thermo-power centres, which will include facilities at Long Phu´, So^ng Hau, Duye^n Hai, Bac Lie^u, An Giang, Kie^n Luong and Tien Giang.

It is calculated that demand for imported coal for electricity generation will be approximately 11mt (million tonnes) by 2020 and 22mt by 2025. Demand would also increase to 43mt by 2030.

To date, local coal resources have been concentrated in the northeastern province of Quang Ninh, which mainly serve four generating stations in the northern and central provinces.

BC