Quang Ngai, Hau Giang restart million-dollar projects

April 20, 2012 | 16:11

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The provincial governments of the central Quang Ngai, and the Mekong Delta Hau Giang provinces have recently met with investors to restart two projects worth millions of US dollars that have been delayed for years.

Four years after the groundbreaking ceremony, the Hau Giang paper manufacturing plant remained a deserted site on April 26, 2011. Photo: Dan Tri

On April 18 in Quang Ngai Vo Van Thuong, general secretary of the provincial committee of the Party, met with representatives of Taiwan’s E-United and JFE of Japan on the implementation of the Guang Lian Dung Quat steel manufacturing plant in the Dung Quat Economic Zone.

The two international groups expressed their determination to complete the project as soon as possible, while Thuong said the province is committed to creating the most convenient conditions possible for the investors.

Guang Lian Dung Quat steel manufacturing plant, whose main investor is the Tycoons Worldwide Steel Vietnam Co Ltd, broke ground in October 2007, with a total investment of more than $1 billion.

The project’s investor was later changed, and the required capital was increased to $4.5 billion, with the project expected to reach its first completion stage by 2013.

However, it has since been delayed due to the lack of financial capability of the investors.
Meanwhile, the People’s Committee of Hau Giang Province on April 19 worked with the Lee & Man Paper Manufacturing Ltd on a $1.2-billion project that has been delayed since 2007.

Lee & Man committed to continue the project’s implementation, said chairman Lee Wan Keung.

“The project was tardy due to the economic turbulence,” he said.

“Now that the problems have been solved, we are committed to putting the plant into operation by June 2013.”

The 210-hectare Hau Giang paper manufacturing plant was set to be built in the Phu Huu A Industrial Cluster with a total investment of $1.2 billion from Lee & Man Co Ltd.
Initiated in 2007, however, the project has so far had only two out of ten construction units completed.

As of mid-2013 the assembly line, which will be capable of producing 400,000 tons of paper a year, will become operational, said Lee.

The chairman also demanded that the provincial people’s committee recruit 200 laborers to be trained in China, in order to provide an adequate workforce for the plant upon its completion.