PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng orders drastic actions taken to keep major national projects on schedule

In the morning of January 03, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng presided over the first meeting in 2007 of the State Steering Board for the Sơn La Hydroelectric Plant Project. The meeting was attended by leaders of the Government Office, ministries of Construction, Industry, Planning and Investment, Finance, Transport, the State Bank and the three provinces of Sơn La, Lai Châu and Điện Biên, the Vietnam Electricity Group and the Sông Đà Corporation.

The meeting heard that in 2006, all the builders had exerted their great efforts in order to maintain the schedule of the Sơn La Hydroelectric Plant Project. PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng requested that in 2007, all public agencies, the project investor and contractors need to further their collaboration, rising over difficulties to secure the project’s schedule and quality. By December 2010, the first turbine must be put into operation as planned. The Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Ministry of Construction and relevant agencies must be quick to complete the resettlement of evicted people in the three provinces of Sơn La, Lai Châu, and Điện Biên and help them settle down as soon as possible in production and life. The Ministry of Culture and Information was assigned to develop a thorough scheme for removal and preservation of historical remains in areas affected by the future Đà River reservoir. The Ministry of Transport must promptly plan and start transport projects in future inundation-affected areas, particularly, Pa Uôn, Hang Tôm, Lai Hà bridges and sections of some national and provincial roads.

In the same day’s afternoon, PM Nguyễn Tấn Dũng chaired the meeting of the State Steering Board for Major Oil and Gas Projects. He demanded that the investors must be harder on the contractors to have them observe the agreed schedule, especially in design and procurement packages for the Dung Quất Oil Refinery. To meet the demands of national industrialization and modernization, and power, it is extremely important that any designer and contractor of major national oil and gas projects follow the schedule. The PM entrusted the Ministry of Resource and Environment to review environmental impacts caused by the Nhơn Trạch 1 Power Plant; authorized foreign investors to enter joint-ventures with domestic contractors to build the Nghi Sơn Oil Refinery; demanded that the Quảng Ngãi Province People’s Committee promptly have eviction plans and set compensation prices to clear the site for building the Polypropylen Factory (under the Dung Quất Oil Refinery), making sure that the cleared land is handed over to the contractor in time; and assigned the Minister of Planning and Investment to lead, on his behalf, the Management Board of the Dung Quất Industrial Park./.

By Hoàng Nguyên Hồ