Dak Nong focuses on removing obstacles for 425 projects overlapping mineral planning

Challenges in planning

Dak Nong province's planning has identified three driving forces to promote economic development; in which, it will focus on investing in completing the value chain of bauxite - alumina - aluminum production, after aluminum; to become the national aluminum industrial center.

Dak Nong is focusing on investing in completing the value chain of bauxite - alumina - aluminum production, after aluminum.

According to statistics, Dak Nong currently has about 2,396 ^km2 of bauxite resources and reserves assessed, accounting for about 1/3 of the province's natural area. In Plan 866, the total area of ​​bauxite ore distribution is more than 1,670 ^km2 , accounting for 25% of Dak Nong's natural area.

With thin ore bodies, widely distributed on hilltops and hillsides, the area with bauxite ore inevitably covers mineral mines used for common construction materials and other areas where economic and social activities take place. This is the main cause of overlapping planning in Dak Nong.

Bauxite ore is widespread, accounting for about 1/3 of the natural area of ​​Dak Nong province.

Specifically, Dak Nong has 425 public investment projects requiring land use for construction works, with the land area overlapping with the bauxite planning accounting for about 6,692 hectares.

Projects located in overlapping areas are mainly related to the province's socio-economic development, projects using public investment capital, using budget capital, including key national projects and works that have been decided on investment policy by the National Assembly...

In addition, the 1757 Plan approved 232 mineral mines for common construction materials for Dak Nong, with a total reserve of 239 million m3. However, 83 of them overlap with the bauxite plan, making many areas of landfill material mines difficult to exploit.

Dak Nong is stepping up efforts to attract investors to implement projects related to bauxite.

To resolve the problems, Dak Nong has sent many documents and reports to the Prime Minister and ministries and branches; in which, there are 3 groups of problems that Dak Nong hopes to have resolved.

These are: difficulties in solutions for recovering and protecting minerals to implement projects in bauxite planning areas; difficulties in exploiting minerals for common construction materials in bauxite planning areas; difficulties in licensing and adjusting investment policies for economic and social development projects.

It is expected that by 2030, the Dak Nong Aluminum Electrolysis Plant will be put into operation. At the same time, the Nhan Co Aluminum Plant will increase its capacity from 650,000 tons/year to 2 million tons/year. The province will also invest in new Dak Nong aluminum plant projects 2, 3, 4, 5 associated with planned mining areas and clusters.

Flexible behavior

On April 23, 2024, the Prime Minister issued Decision No. 333/QD-TTg, assigning specific tasks to the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, to strengthen the management of mineral areas and resolve difficulties in resource exploitation.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Truong Thanh Hoai (far left) visits bauxite projects in Dak Nong

According to the decision, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment will coordinate to review and propose forms of restriction, prohibition or temporary ban on mineral exploitation activities in areas of special nature. This decision aims to protect valuable resources, ensure sustainable development and minimize environmental impacts.

At the same time, deploy a project to delineate corner coordinates for areas where mining licenses will be granted. This is to reduce the land area affected by mining activities, while still ensuring mining in the correct planned areas.

In addition, areas that do not contain minerals or have scattered, low reserves of minerals that are not economically efficient are also removed from the planning.

The implementation of the project to delineate corner coordinates for areas where mining licenses will be granted will help reduce the affected land area, while ensuring mineral exploitation within the planning.

The area removed from the mineral planning will be allowed to change land use purposes. Localities can implement economic and social development projects on this area.

Dr. Do Nam Binh, representative of the Department of Industry (Ministry of Industry and Trade), said that with these orientations, in the coming time, Dak Nong needs to speed up the selection of investors to exploit and process bauxite ore. This is to soon deploy exploitation and return land funds to the locality to implement economic and social development projects.

Mr. Binh also informed that localities must continue to proactively review and report to competent authorities for guidance on contents related to plans for protection, gathering, and storage of recovered but unused minerals during the construction of investment projects according to regulations.

Along with that, consider and decide on forms of restricting mineral activities to immediately remove difficulties and obstacles related to the implementation of economic development projects in the locality.

TUV, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Le Trong Yen emphasized that, in the coming time, sectors and localities need to continue to promote propaganda work so that the community can better understand the bauxite planning as well as the development potential of the province.

Thereby, encouraging people to propose and contribute solutions to help Dak Nong overcome difficulties in the process of planning and enforcing the Law on Geology and Minerals when it comes into effect.

At the same time, sectors and localities need to closely coordinate and proactively accompany the recommendations to the Prime Minister and relevant ministries and sectors to find effective solutions, both ensuring exploitation and protecting the province's bauxite resources.

“Dak Nong currently has 425 projects affected by bauxite planning, not all of them. Therefore, we must have flexible responses to resolve these problems. From there, priority will be given to the implementation of urgent projects and key projects for the locality,” said Vice Chairman of the Provincial People’s Committee Le Trong Yen.

Source: https://baodaknong.vn/dak-nong-tap-trung-go-vuong-425-du-an-chong-lan-quy-hoach-khoang-san-238999.html