Vietnam is forecast to have to import some kinds of coal, mainly fat coal used for metallurgy, from 2015, local newspaper Vietnam Economic Times on Tuesday quoted the country's Industry Ministry as reporting.

The ministry predicted that Vietnam would have to import 5.9 million tons of some kinds of coal in 2015, 15.4 million tons in 2020, and 54.4 million tons in 2025, to serve increasing demand for the fossil fuel of its energy-thirsty industries, including metallurgy and thermoelectricity.

Vietnam is estimated to consume 29-32 million tons of different kinds of coal in 2010, 47-50 million tons in 2015, 69-72 million tons in 2020, and 112-115 million tons in 2025, according to the ministry.

Vietnam has total coal reserves of 6.1 billion tons, of which nearly 2.6 billion tons, mainly anthracite coal, can be exploited, the newspaper said.

Vietnam exported nearly 29.8 million tons of several types of coal worth 927 million U.S. dollars last year, mainly to China, Japan and South Korea, posting respective year-on-year rises of 65. 6 percent and 38.5 percent, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Source: Xinhua