Continuing the working program of the 6th Session, on the morning of November 7, at the National Assembly House, under the chairmanship and direction of National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue, the National Assembly continued to conduct the Question and Answer Session.
National Assembly Chairman Vuong Dinh Hue chaired and conducted the question and answer session.
Sea sand meets the requirements for foundation materials
Participating in the question-and-answer session at the National Assembly, National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Minh Trang - Vinh Long Province Delegation raised the issue with Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang about the progress of research on using sea sand as roadbed material.
“What is the implementation status so far? Is it feasible to use sea sand to replace river sand to solve the urgent need for raw materials for the North-South Expressway projects?”, Ms. Trang asked Minister Thang.
Along with that, Ms. Nguyen Minh Trang also raised the issue, predicting that after completing and putting into operation the North-South Expressway component projects, the BOT routes on National Highway 1A will be overloaded. This will greatly affect the financial plans of investors.
“How many BOT projects are affected? What solutions does the Minister have to ensure the harmony of interests between the State, people and businesses?”, a delegate from Vinh Long questioned the Minister of Transport.
Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang answered questions.
Responding to questions about the research on sea sand as a construction material for embankments, Minister of Transport Nguyen Van Thang said that in order to meet the demand for sand for embankments for transport projects, especially in the Mekong Delta region, in March 2023, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Transport to coordinate with the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment (MONRE) to deploy, research, and evaluate the pilot use of sea sand for transport infrastructure and construction. The Ministry of Transport has established a team to implement the Prime Minister's direction (including ministries, branches, experts, scientists, etc.)
In addition to conferences and seminars, the Ministry of Transport has implemented a pilot project to use sea sand on transport works in the Mekong Delta region. The pilot results show that, after 5 monitoring times, the sea sand material meets the requirements for foundation materials in terms of technical indicators (load capacity, stability, etc.) of the project. It has similar value when using river sand, and there are no signs of impact on the environment or plants in the surrounding areas.
Currently, at the request of experts, the Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment are expanding the experimental sand samples to many different coastal areas: Hai Phong, Ba Ria - Vung Tau...
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang also said that it is expected that in December, the Ministry-level assessment council will meet and assess the results. On that basis, the Ministry of Transport will coordinate with ministries and branches to develop standards, regulations, and procedures to expand the pilot area for a number of highway projects as well as allow sea sand as filling material.
“Sand exploitation must be sustainable and not affect the environment,” the Minister of Transport emphasized.
National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Minh Trang - National Assembly Delegation of Vinh Long province.
There will be a toll collection policy on state-invested highways.
Regarding the fact that when the expressway projects were completed, some BOT projects along National Highway 1A were affected. Regarding this issue, Minister Nguyen Van Thang said that the Ministry of Transport had proactively assessed and identified that when the National Highway 45 - Nghi Son - Dien Chau and Phan Thiet - Dau Giay - Vinh Hao expressways were inaugurated, two BOT projects were greatly affected. For example, in Dong Nai, a BOT project saw a 77.6% decrease in revenue, while the project in Phan Thiet saw a 86% decrease in revenue.
“With a new expressway that is fast, convenient, and free of charge, of course, vehicles will flock to it. The Ministry of Transport has identified and is submitting to the Government and will soon submit to the National Assembly a policy on toll collection on state-invested expressways to ensure harmonious traffic flow between routes, as well as ensure efficiency for BOT routes,” Mr. Thang stated.
Mr. Nguyen Van Thang said that in the coming time, it is expected that 14 BOT projects will be affected and diverted. The Ministry of Transport will closely monitor when the expressways come into operation to assess the level of revenue decline, signed BOT contracts and legal regulations so that the Ministry of Transport can make recommendations to the Government and the National Assembly.
Delegate Nguyen Quang Huan - National Assembly Delegation of Binh Duong province debated.
Use budget to support projects that have to stop operating early
Also related to BOT traffic projects, National Assembly Delegate Nguyen Quang Huan - Binh Duong National Assembly Delegation debated with the Minister of Transport about the solution for 8 loss-making BOT projects, which is to reduce investors' profits and banks' capital profits.
Mr. Nguyen Quang Huan said that this would be an unbalanced negotiation because the nature of banks is capital business, if profits decrease, will they be able to stand firm? As for businesses, when investing in dong and collecting dimes, will it affect their confidence? "When sparrows are confused, eagles are worried, so this solution needs to be carefully considered," Mr. Huan said.
Delegate Nguyen Quang Huan proposed using the State budget allocated to the Ministry of Transport to restructure and support projects that have to stop operating early. "If support cannot be provided once or once a year, it can be divided into many years and many times, but it needs to be publicly announced," said Mr. Huan.
Regarding this issue, Minister Nguyen Van Thang said that for the current 8 BOT projects, the Ministry of Transport is working closely with investors and banks "on the basis of negotiation" because this is a contract signed between two parties. The implementation principle is harmonious benefits and shared risks. "This is an issue that the Government, the National Assembly, and the Ministry of Transport are studying to create conditions for investors to recover capital," Mr. Thang emphasized.
Regarding the possibility of investors reducing profits or banks reducing interest rates, according to Minister Nguyen Van Thang, this is necessary, but the extent depends on negotiations and the ability to persuade between investors and banks.
"It is impossible to determine that investors will not make a profit or that banks must waive all interest," said the Minister of Transport, proposing to use the budget to buy back all 5 projects, while 3 projects will receive support of less than 50% according to legal regulations.
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