Vn Business reported that Mr Hoang Trung Hai deputy PM of Vietnam has instructed the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to quickly approve the environmental reports for Tan Rai and Nhan Company projects and grant the bauxite mining license to Vinacomin.
Mr Trung Hai released the instruction after the Ministry of Industry and Trade reported to him regarding the implementation of bauxite and alumina projects in December 2009.
This was the second time the ministry has reported to the government about bauxite and alumina projects since the meeting chaired Mr Trung Hai in July 2009 to review the implementation of Prime Minister Mr Nguyen Tan Dung’s instruction related to these projects in a document dated April 29th 2009.
The first report submitted in July 2009 said that related ministries, Vinacomin and Dak Nong and Lam Dong provinces wished to urgently start these important projects, the second report said that by September 2009, 41% of the major bidding package of the bauxite aluminium project in Lam Dong province was fulfilled.
Mr Vu Manh Hung deputy general director of Vinacomin said that the first batches of equipment of over 800 tonnes in weight for this bidding package are now at the construction site, ready for installation to put the plant in operation in October 2010.
Mr Hung said that resettlement of families that are affected by this project has been mostly completed. Vinacomin has built roads, power networks and water supply systems for a resettlement zone for 730 families. The group has also provided more than 9 billion dong to these families and presented 41 apartments to ethnic minority people worth 3.4 billion dong.
Mr Le Duong Quang deputy minister of industry and trade of Vietnam said that both the Tan Rai and Nhan Company projects have had environmental impact assessing reports. However, the Tan Rai project needs a new report because its capacity will be increased from 300,000 tonnes to 600,000 tonnes of alumina per year. Reports have been sent to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.
The 2 first bauxite and alumina processing projects in Tan Rai in Lam Dong province and Nhan Company in Dak Nong province have attracted the special attention and they are under the strict supervision of the National Assembly. The estimated capacity of Tan Rai project is 600,000 tonnes of alumina per year. Initially, the capacity for the Nhan Co project was 300,000 tonnes but it was then raised to 600,000 tonnes of alumina per year.
Experts believed that Vietnam has great potential for bauxite ore to produce aluminium with a reserve of around over 5.4 billion tones mainly in the Central Highlands. According to the bauxite mining and processing plans for between 2007 and 2015 approved by the Prime Minister, Vietnam will produce 6.4 million tonnes to 8.4 million tonnes of alumina.
(Sourced from Vnbusinessnews.com)
