Deputy Prime Minister Hoang Trung Hai has just approved a Build-Transfer project to set up a route for transporting alumina from a bauxite mine in the Central Highlands to a port in Dong Nai province for export.
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| Gov’t approves BT project to set up a route for transporting alumina from a bauxite mine in Central Highlands to a port in Dong Nai |
Alumina will be transported by trucks through a corridor stretching 210km from Tan Rai bauxite mine in Lam Dong Province to Bao Loc Municipality via Provincial Road 725, and then via National Highway 20 to Dau Giay Junction. From there, alumina will be transported through Provincial Road 769 in Dong Nai to Go Dau Port on the Thi Vai River for export.
Under his approval, the deputy prime minister entrusted the Ministry of Transport to assess and approve all components of the BT project to establish a corridor for transporting alumina.
Under this BT project, National Highway 20 is the backbone of the alumina transport route, but the road has seriously deteriorated under the burden of heavy-duty trucks transporting materials and machinery for the bauxite project in Tan Rai over the past few years. Therefore, authorities of Lam Dong and Dong Nai provinces in late June proposed the Transport Ministry quickly upgrade the road.
Nguyen Van Cong, manager of the Transport Ministry’s Office, told the Daily on Thursday the ministry had already obtained approval from the Government for a project to upgrade the national highway. But the Government has not made any decisions on upgrading other roads for alumina transport.
Asked about the sources of capital for upgrading the route, Cong said the ministry would consider a financial plan only after approval from the Government.
On Wednesday, authorities of Dong Nai Province and Vietnam National Coal-Mineral Industries Corp. (Vinacomin) as the alumina project owner traded barbs over the transport of the mineral resource via Dong Nai. Provincial leaders said that traffic police would stop alumina-transporting trucks with gross weight of 40 tons to prevent the roads from further deteriorating.
All road sections within the proposed bauxite corridor can accommodate vehicles of a maximum gross weight of 30 tons, while Vinacomin’s representatives at the meeting admitted that all alumina-transporting trucks have a gross weight of 40 tons or so.
Upgrading the proposed bauxite route is just a temporary solution, as Vinacomin would develop a seaport at Khe Ga in Binh Thuan Province for exporting alumina. Cong of the Transport Ministry said once the port construction is completed, relevant parties will upgrade seven roads from bauxite mines to the port.
(Source: SGT)
