Vietnam Unveils Over 1 Million Tons of New Treasure After Drilling 11 Holes Deeper Than 1,900 Meters

According to the Ministry of Agriculture and Environment, on November 13th, Deputy Minister Tran Quy Kien chaired the National Mineral Reserve Assessment Council meeting.

The council reviewed and approved coal reserves at the Trang Bach coal mine, located in Hoang Que and Binh Khe wards, and the Tay Khe Sim coal mine in Quang Hanh and Mong Duong wards, Quang Ninh province. They also assessed limestone reserves for industrial lime production in Kien Khe town and Thanh Thuy commune, Thanh Liem district, Ha Nam province (now Chau Son ward and Tan Thanh commune, Ninh Binh province).

Mr. Vu Anh Tuan, Head of the Geology Department at Vinacomin’s Information Technology and Environment Company, reported on the Trang Bach mine exploration. TKV has completed additional exploration to upgrade the 333-level resources within the licensed mining area.

The project included 1,508.4 meters of drilling across 7 boreholes, over 1,500 meters of geophysical measurements, and hundreds of gas, coal, and rock samples for analysis. The consulting unit utilized data from over 480 boreholes from previous phases.

For the Tay Khe Sim coal mine in Quang Hanh and Mong Duong wards, Mr. Do Xuan Kien from Vietnam Northern Geology Corporation – TKV reported that 11 boreholes totaling 1,914.5 meters were drilled. This updated the mine’s geological structure, clarified coal seam characteristics, and assessed geological and technical conditions.

“The upgraded reserve calculation reached 1.074 million tons, providing a crucial foundation for safe and efficient mining within the licensed area,” added Mr. Kien.

The National Mineral Reserve Assessment Council approved several key reserves. At the Trang Bach mine, the upgraded reserve is 22.747 million tons. At the Tay Khe Sim mine, the 122-level reserve, upgraded from 333-level resources, is 1.074 million tons. They also assessed limestone reserves for industrial lime production in Chau Son ward and Tan Thanh commune, Ninh Binh province.

Deputy Minister Tran Quy Kien emphasized these results as vital for mining design and coal industry development planning, ensuring compliance with resource and reserve classification regulations.

According to the Quang Ninh Provincial Portal, the coal industry has long been a key economic pillar in Quang Ninh’s GRDP and budget revenue. Annually, TKV and the Northeast Corporation contribute tens of trillions of VND to the local budget, a significant portion of domestic revenue. In 2024 alone, TKV contributed 17.6 trillion VND to Quang Ninh’s budget.

In response to growth model transformation demands, the province and coal industry agreed to shift from open-pit to underground mining, supported by advanced mining and processing technologies.