Ngo The Phiet, director of Nui Beo Coal Joint Stock Company under the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group said that they are planning to fill the mined area.

"The two pits are some 125 metres deep in Ha Tu Ward, Ha Long City," he said. "We may need some 30 million cubic metres of soil to fill these two pits."

The official estimated that the work would cost VND 1.20 trillion (USD 52.18 million) and last until 2030.

"With the current fuel price hike, the cost may rise to between VND 1.50-1.60 trillion," he said. "Meanwhile, our annual profits now stand at only between VND40-50 billion".

Nui Beo, the largest open-cast coal mine in the northern province of Quang Ninh was closed in 2012 following the province's target to switch to more environmentally-friendly coal mining. They extracted their first tonnes of coal from the underground mines here in 2017 and achieved an output of 1.10 million tonnes in 2021.

"This is a major achievement in our transformation from operating open cast coal mines to underground coal mining," the company's director said. "We set a target of reaching an output of two million tonnes by 2024 to ensure stable work and incomes for over 3,000 workers."

Quang Ninh plans to close several more open-cast coal mines in Ha Long City from now to 2028. The province has worked open-cast coal mines for decades, work that has had serious environmental consequences for Ha Long City and Ha Long Bay.

Source: Dtinews