The Ministry of Construction indicated that it intends to recommend to the Prime Minister that the Thanh Son cement plant project in Thanh Hoa Province be cancelled, and agreed to instruct local authorities to proceed with terminating the project while protecting the capital invested and relevant rights.
Regarding the long-delayed Thanh Son cement plant project, the Ministry of Construction presented a policy of recommending its cancellation to the Prime Minister and was said to have called on the local government to implement procedures to terminate the project after securing the invested capital and corporate rights. Since its approval in 2011, the project has undergone postponements from 2015 onward, with policy changes repeated several times.
The project's basic information states that it was planned for Ngoc Lac District in Thanh Hoa Province, with a single-line configuration designed for annual cement production capacity of 910,000 tonnes. Land leases and an initial investment certificate had been issued, but implementation was delayed because of difficulties in securing financing.
According to the latest report, the project boundary lies within the safety zone of a national defense facility, while the raw-material mining site is also located in a prohibited mining area. In addition, 715 households in 5 nearby villages are reportedly opposed to the project because of concerns about environmental and health impacts. These multiple factors have led to the view that it will be difficult to continue the project.
A proposal has been put forward for the relevant agencies, led by the Ministry of Finance, to work together under the Investment Law and have the People's Committee of Thanh Hoa Province direct the cancellation of the project. The authorities are expected to recommend to the Prime Minister an agreement in principle to cancel it.