On December 30, the People's Committee of Quang Ngai province held a meeting to listen to a report on resolving problems related to the VNT19 Pulp and Paper Mill project.
VNT-19 Pulp and Paper Factory was started in 2015, with a total investment of nearly 9,900 billion VND, built in Binh Phuoc commune, Binh Son district, on an expected area of 117 hectares. The factory has a designed capacity of 350,000 tons of pulp/year in phase 1, making it the largest pulp factory in Vietnam.
According to the report of the project investor, VNT19 Pulp and Paper Joint Stock Company, up to now, the project's workload has been completed by about 93%. Of which, site clearance compensation has reached 98%, design work has been completed 100%, equipment procurement has reached 90%, maintenance and repair work has reached 90%, construction work has reached 92%, and installation work has reached 90%. The project is implementing the construction of the wastewater drainage section after treatment.
However, during the construction of the wastewater drainage section, the investor was obstructed by local residents, leading to a temporary halt in construction of some sections of the pipeline. Although the project is expected to be completed and put into operation in the fourth quarter of 2024, due to problems with compensation and site clearance, the investor has not yet been granted land to start construction and put the project into operation on schedule.
According to the reporter's investigation, the reason why local people are obstructing the construction of the wastewater drainage line to Viet Thanh Bay is because they are concerned that the installation and use of the wastewater drainage line after treatment into the sea will affect the environment and coastal aquatic resources.
According to the investor's report, after the first investment license was granted in 2022, the project has been granted a total of 5 adjustments to its investment certificate and investment policy. Currently, the investor has submitted a request to adjust the project implementation schedule to the fourth quarter of 2026.
At the meeting, representatives of departments, agencies and sectors discussed and proposed solutions to remove obstacles and soon put the VNT19 Pulp and Paper Mill project into operation. The allocation of 16.2 hectares of land for the construction of items such as the Wastewater Treatment Plant and the 110kV Transformer Station has completed the site clearance and compensation procedures. However, because the competent State agency has not yet leased the land, the investor has not been able to request the Dung Quat Economic Zone Management Board and the provincial Industrial Parks to issue a construction permit.
Concluding the meeting, Mr. Nguyen Hoang Giang - Chairman of Quang Ngai Provincial People's Committee - requested the Department of Natural Resources and Environment (DONRE) to coordinate with relevant agencies and units to appraise and advise the Provincial People's Committee to consider leasing land for the area that meets the leasing conditions according to regulations.
Binh Son district continues to mobilize and propagate to people in the project area to create consensus during the project implementation process.
