Conference on appraisal of planning for nationwide peat exploration, mining, processing and use through 2020 with a vision to 2030

On the morning of December 5th, 2014, the General Department of Energy organized a conference on appraising “the planning for nationwide peat exploration, mining, processing and use through 2020 with a vision to 2030” prepared by Vinacomin Industry Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company at the office of the General Department of Energy addressed No. 23, Ngo Quyen street, Hanoi.

                                                 


The Planning Appraisal Board included PhD. Nguyen Khac Tho-Deputy Director General of General Department of Energy who acted as a board leader, MSc. Trinh Duc Duy- Deputy Manager of Coal Department who acted as an assistant and members of the appraisal team who were  specialist representatives from ministries, branches and localities such as Ministry of Industry and Trade, Ministry of National Resources and Environment, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, People’s Committees of Kien Giang and Ba Ria-Vung Tau provinces, Hanoi People’s Committee and Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited.

The representatives of Vinacomin Industry Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company included MSc. Le Duc Phuong – Deputy Director and the Planning’s author group consisting of PhD. Le Duc Phuong, MSc. Vu Quang Dung, Engr. Le Van Thoi, Engr. Tran Thanh Hang and Engr. Pham Dinh Nam.

Before the appraisal conference took place, the General Department of Energy had collected contribution and evaluation suggestions about the planning’s contents from the following ministries and localities: Ministry of Defense, Ministry of Public Security, Department of Geology and Minerals of Vietnam – Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Science and Technology; Ministry of Transport, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, 43 provinces and cities under the central government. In addition, the General Department of Energy also had collected contribution suggestions of appraisal groups and members of the appraisal team and a critic report of the Center of Geo-environment Research of Hanoi University of Mining and  Geology.

At the conference, after the assistant to the appraisal team represented the appraisal results and draft approval decision of “the planning for nationwide peat exploration, mining, processing and use through 2020 with a vision to 2030”, the members of the appraisal team raised their ideas and further questions about unclear problems and the specialists of the planning group answered the questions of the appraisal team. 

The results of the planning show that the nationwide peat resources and reserves are rather large, up to 342 million tons. However, the surface of the peat-bearing area is currently used by farmers for rice or farm produce cultivation. Moreover, peat is mainly used as fertilizer so the resources and reserves mobilized into the planning are not large, only over 39 million tons.

The present mined peat output is 0.63 million t/y; the peat output is 1.37 million t/y in the period of 2016-2020 and 2.57 million t/y in the period of 2021-2030; peat is mainly in Southern provinces.

Based on the response ideas of the planning group and vote results of the appraisal team, the leader of the appraisal team put forward his conclusions as follows:

1. The planning for nationwide peat exploration, mining, processing and use through 2020 with a vision to 2030 was prepared meticulously and contained fully the outline’s contents approved by the Ministry of Industry and Trade according to the decision No. 2095/QD-BCT dated 4 April 2013. The planning project also reflected a comprehensive and detailed panorama of features and situation of peat-bearing areas and then suggested specific steps in exploring, mining, processing and using peat as well as necessary policies for exploring, mining, processing and using peat in provinces and cities under the central government.

2. Based on the contribution suggestions of ministries and localities and the critic opinions of the critic consulting unit and appraisal team, the consulting unit carried out interpretation, idea reception, modification and completion of the planning’s contents. The appraisal team agreed to the reception and interpretation ideas of the consulting unit.

3. The appraisal team found that although some problems in terms of situation of resources and land use in some peat-bearing areas and impacts on the environment and human geology needed to be further studied during the preparation of the master-plan of exploring, mining, processing and using minerals in provinces and cities under the central government, the planning for nationwide peat exploration, mining, processing and use through 2020 with a vision to 2030 submitted by Vinacomin Industry Investment Consulting Joint Stock Company showed the potential peat resources, necessity, advantages and difficulties as well as plan of exploring, mining, processing and using peat nationwide.

By Le Duc Phuong