Overview of coal-fired power plant ash situation and cement industry in Vietnam

The development of coal-fired power plants to ensure energy security and electricity consumption is a matter for the Vietnam economy. However, the huge amount of ash discharged is a major environmental challenge. It is estimated that by the end of 2017, the amount of ash in the country is about 40 million tons and annually emitted over 16.4 million tons. While the quantity of coal-fired power plant is rising, the ash content will increase year by year if the ash doesn't treat well. The ash will be increased from 61 million tons in 2018 to 109 million tons in 2020, 248 million tons in 2025 and 422 million tons in 2030. The difficulties of coal-fired power plants are the problem of ash handling, some plants are at risk of closure because there are not enough dump capacity to storage. Therefore, Vietnam is in need of urgent measures to treat a large amount of waste from coal-fired power plants. The specific objectives of this study were as follows: (1) provide an overview of coal ash situation produced by coal-fired power plants in Vietnam; (2) study about regulations related to coal ash treatment; (3) comprehend the literature review of the cement sector status.