Dai Viet-Dung Quat cement plant has been forced to temporarily shut down in the central province of Quang Ngai due to environmental pollution. Since 26 May, the locals have gathered in front of the plant to call for a shutdown.
Director of Central Region Cement JSC Trinh Van Dien, investor in the Dai Viet-Dung Quat cement plant, said, "We invited an environmental monitoring team to check the dust concentration and the results are safe. The local Department of Natural Resources and Environment hasn't reached a conclusion on the noise level yet."
He added, "We’ve had to temporarily close the plant, meaning we’re losing VND300m (US$13,437) and the 100 workers are kicking their heels at home. I don't know what to do."
Dung Quat Economic Zone's management board have already moved households and spent VND36bn on the first relocation phase. According to the plan, 236 households in the radius of 50m to 100m around the plant will be moved in the second phase and this land will be used to build the Dung Quat coal power plant.
The ground clearance work should have been done this year but coal-powered plant project was delayed until 2020. As the result, the ground clearance work has also been delayed.
According to the locals, they want to be compensated for the relocation if the plant stays and if they stay then the plant can't exist. "We don’t want to stay. We have to move," local Nguyen Ne said.
The US$136m Dai Viet-Dung Quat cement plant went into operatio in 2012. The plant employs 100 workers and has a cement capacity of 500,000tpa.
