HANOI, Nov 22 (Reuters) - Thailand’s EGAT International Co started construction on Friday of a 55 trillion dong ($2.37 billion) coal-fired power plant in central Vietnam, Vietnamese state media reported.

The 1,320-megawatt Quang Tri 1 plant is being built in Quang Tri province, reported Vietnam News Agency. EGAT International is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

Vietnam, one of Asia’s fastest growing economies, has become more reliant on coal for electricity production, even as it promotes renewables.

Vietnam’s coal imports in the first 10 months of this year more than doubled from a year earlier to 36.8 million tonnes, government data showed.

The coal, sourced mainly from Australia and Indonesia, is used mostly for an expanding fleet of coal-fired power plants. ($1 = 23,195 dong) (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by Edmund Blair)