Vietnam’s coal emissions set to surge

Energy in need: A woman rides her bicycle past a mural in Hanoi. The sharply higher coal imports indicate that power producers have lifted coal-fired electricity generation to keep up with the demand for power-hungry air conditioning. — AFP

VIETNAM’S thermal power emissions are primed for a steep climb this summer after the country’s imports of thermal coal soared to their highest levels in three years in May and June.

Vietnam’s utilities boosted imports of thermal coal to more than three million tonnes in both May and June this year from a monthly average of around 1.5 million tonnes throughout 2022, data from Kpler shows, as a lengthy heatwave across the country caused a spike in air conditioner use.