Vietnam Ministry Warns on Forest, Rice Land Conversion for Cement Project
The Vietnamese Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has raised environmental concerns over a project converting 422,550 square meters of forest and rice land for the Duyen Ha cement plant in Tam Diep city, northern Ninh Binh province.
The project involves Duyen Ha Co., Ltd. expanding limestone mining operations for its second production line.
The environmental impact assessment (EIA) report highlights that the project will affect 382,000m2 of natural protective forest and 40,800m2 of rice and production forest land. The terrain is challenging, with steep slopes complicating mining activities and potentially impacting nearby protective forests.
In 2020, Duyen Ha Co., Ltd. sought to expand the mining corridor to ensure safety, which required converting additional forest and rice land. The total project area after adjustment will be nearly 988,400m2, with a mining capacity of over two million tons of limestone annually. The project’s total investment is reported to exceed VND211 billion ($8.79 million).