Vietnam's government has granted permission to coal miners to produce 15% more than their licensed volumes, to preserve energy security as Asia's struggles to obtain natural gas due to the crisis in the Middle East, the national informational website said on Tuesday.
A number of conditions apply, including a situation of urgent need in energy security terms, that miners to not exceed total site exploitation beyond their licenses and that the surplus coal produced only be used for electricity production.
Miners seeking to make use of the additional allowance need to register to do so and report their product levels regularly. The exception applies for the June 9 to Dec. 31 period, the notice said.