BRIEF-Thai Banpu sees 2014 profit close to last year's

BANGKOK, March 17 (Reuters) - Thailand's Banpu Pcl

:

*The coal miner expects its 2014 net profit to be close to the 3.15 billion baht ($97.5 million) in 2013, Chief Executive Officer Chanin Vongkusolkij told reporters.

*Coal sales this year would be around 49 million tonnes, mainly from its coal mines in Indonesia, China and Australia.

*It plans to invest $358 million in 2014 for expansion.

*It has completed around 78 percent of the construction of the Hongsa power plant in Laos and the plant could start production in the middle of 2015.

($1 = 32.3200 Thai Baht)

(Reporting by Wilawan Pongpitak; Writing by Viparat Jantraprap; Editing by Alan Raybould)

((viparat.jantraprapaweth@thomsonreuters.com)(66 2 648 9733)(Reuters Messaging: viparat.jantraprapaweth.thomsonreuters.com@reuters.net))

Keywords: THAILANDBANPU