Vietnam imported 799,617 mt of coal in October, rising 152.3% year on year but down 24.9% from September, according to customs data released Monday.
Traditionally a coal exporter, the country has actively turned to coal imports to meet rising domestic demand, particularly from the power sector.
State-owned Vietnam Electricity, the national power production and distribution company, said October 6 that it added 2,324 MW of electricity generation capacity from new coal-fired power plants during January-September.
These power plants consume about 6.6 million mt/year of coal.
The leading suppliers in October comprised Indonesia (306,679 mt, up 134% year on year), China (248,954 mt, surging 742% from 29,579 mt in the same month in 2014), and Russia (129,700 mt, up 61% year on year).
In the first 10 months, Vietnam imported 5.045 million mt of coal, up 100.3% year on year, mainly from Indonesia (1.54 million mt, up 28% year on year), China (1.32 million mt, up 242% year on year), and Australia (921,480 mt, rising 88.3% from January-October last year).
Vietnam, which mainly produces and exports thermal coal, exported 107,528 mt of coal in October, down 78.6% year on year and falling 23.9% from September this year.
The top destinations in October included Japan, taking 56,872 mt, up 712.6% from 6,999 mt a year earlier, and Indonesia, buying 20,000 mt, up 543.1% from 3,110 mt in the same month last year, according to the data.
In the first 10 months, Vietnam exported 1.53 million mt of coal, down 75.7% year on year.
Main buyers of Vietnamese coal over January-October were Japan (520,388 mt, down 33.5% year on year) and South Korea (241,916 mt, falling 75.9% from the same period in 2014).
