In central Vietnam, developer mulls relocating steel plant to mountain
In central Vietnam, developer mulls relocating steel plant to mountain
A steelmaker in the central province of Quang Nam is slated to relocate its facility from the low land to a mountainous area, following complaint from local residents over its noise and pollution.
People in Dien Ban District, where Viet Phap Steel Limited Company currently runs the plant, could not be happier with the relocation, but their worries and concerns will simply be transferred to those in the mountainous district of Nam Giang.
Shortly after the Quang Nam administration announced that it had approved the relocation proposition of Viet Phap Steel, residents in Nam Giang began to express their concern that their environment will soon be polluted by the facility.
A Lang Mai, chairman of the Nam Giang administration, has visited the plant in Dien Ban and confirmed that it releases noisy sound and dust and black smoke during the production process.
“Our district authorities have discussed this pollution issue but the final decision is in the hand of the provincial administration,” Mai told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper on Friday.
Now that the Quang Nam administration has already green-lighted the relocation, both authorities and residents in Nam Giang could do nothing but hope that the developer will make the facility more environmentally friendly.
“The developer has said they will renovate the plant once relocated here,” Mai said.
The district chairman expressed his belief that “the developer will not repeat the same mistake it has in Dien Ban.”
But it seems a desperate hope.
Viet Phap Steel director Vo Thi Hanh confirmed to Tuoi Tre that the plant will still use its current technology following the relocation.
Hanh said she acknowledges the concern of local people, but asserted that her facility “will not cause any noise, dust or smoke pollution.”
The Quang Nam administration said requesting Viet Phap Steel to relocate its plant is a reluctant move.
“The company has invested some VND300 billion or VND400 billion [$13.39 million - $17.86 million] in the facility, so it would go bankrupt if asked to completely shut down the plant,” the provincial chairman Dinh Van Thu said.
Thu said local residents in Dien Ban have the reason to lament about the plant, but the complaint is mostly about the noise, rather than pollution.
“The facility usually runs at full capacity at 9:00 or 10:00 pm to enjoy cheap power prices for non-peak hours, which affects locals’ bedtime,” he explained.
