Vietnam is facing challenges in ensuring its energy security and will struggle to reduce its use of coal at least until 2030, its Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien said on Tuesday.
"Domestic energy sources cannot meet the demand and the country is getting more reliant on imported energy," Dien said at the online Singapore International Energy Week event.
He said coal will continue to play a key role in Vietnam's energy mix until at least 2030 and before the Southeast Asian country would be in a position to reduce the proportion of its energy derived from coal.
"Coal will remain the key source for the short term. It's not easy to reduce the number of coal-fired power plants," he said, adding that for the long term Vietnam would try to raise its proportion of renewable energy generation.
"We are aiming for the target of sustainable development for the energy sector to meet our international climate commitments," he said.
Vietnam's Deputy Prime Minister Le Van Thanh in a statement on Monday called on Vietnamese miners and authorities to boost domestic coal production amid a growth in imports.
The country may double the amount of coal-fired electric generation it installs by 2030 under a draft plan submitted to the prime minister for approval earlier this month.
(Editing by Raissa Kasolowsky and James Pearson)
