Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Ltd, or Vinacomin, targets to produce 37.2 million mt of coal this year, down 0.8% from a year earlier, the company said in a statement late Wednesday.
The current target is lower than the 40.8 million mt that Vinacomin had expected to produce in January for 2015.
While the company did not provide any reason for fall in target output, severe bad weather in the northern province of Quang Ninh over July 26-August 3 had affected Vinacomin's operations this year.
Almost all the coal projects in the province -- a major coal producing region -- were shut over the period due to the heavy rains. While many of them resumed production shortly after that, Mong Duong mine in Quang Ninh, which had targeted to produce 1.7 million mt of coal in 2015, resumed production only in late October, Vinacomin had said in October.
Vinacomin produced 34.7 million mt of coal over January-November, up 2.4% on year.
The company hopes to produce 2.5 million mt of coal in December, down 30.6% from the same month in 2014, Vinacomin said.
Most of Vietnam's domestic coal output is allocated for local use in power, cement and other industrial sectors.
Part of the output is exported to Japan, South Korea and other countries for steel production, Vinacomin has said.
The country -- which mainly produces and imports thermal coal -- imported 5.36 million mt over January-1-November 15, more than double year on year, the Vietnam Customs said on November 19.
Vietnam exported 1.55 million mt of coal over January-1-November 15, down 76.3% from the same period last year, the data showed.
