Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai.

The Deputy PM said Vietnam has a rich bauxite resource and is potential for the development of the bauxite mining and alumina industry, but won’t develop it at any cost. He said the industrial development must be sustainable, requiring strict and scientific management solutions.

The Deputy PM instructed to adjust the master plan on zoning off the bauxite exploitation, processing and utilisation for the 2007-2015 period with a view towards 2025, making it suitable to the new conditions and based on new data. He also required a report on assessment of environmental impacts.

Due to Vietnam’s power shortage, the bauxite exploitation will initially serve alumina production, but for a long-term view, plans for aluminum production should be prepared, Deputy PM Hai said.

He asked relevant agencies to coordinate with investors in training personnel for the industry, with priority given to ethnic minority locals, and to tighten their management in order to minimise impacts on the natural environment, culture and people’s life in the Central Highlands.

“The bauxite projects won’t reap real success and create an impetus for development of the region and the whole country unless they get local as well as national consensus,” Deputy PM Hai stressed.

Reports delivered at the conference thoroughly assessed the bauxite projects’ economic effectiveness and their impacts on the region’s environment, culture, social life and security.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnam’s bauxite reserve is estimated at 5.4 billion tonnes, mainly located in the Central Highlands.

PV