Accelerating Nhan Co Alumina Mining Project

Accordingly, the Prime Minister assigned the Ministry of Industry and Trade to give directions to the Vietnam National Coal - Mineral Industries Holding Corporation Limited (Vinacomin) and other relevant agencies to work out solutions to remove obstacles to accelerate the completion of the project according to plan.

 

On preferential policies for electrolytic aluminum project, the Prime Minister has agreed in giving this project the highest incentives under current regulations and assigned the Ministry of Planning and Investment to collaborate with the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to give proposals and report to the Prime Minister for consideration and decision.

 

Under the plan, the alumina plant would have come into operation by the end of 2012 but so far only 45 percent of the project has been completed. Alumina Project management board shared that only to the end of the first quarter of 2014 will the new plant start trial run.

 

Vietnam is a country with great potential of bauxite (the type used to produce aluminum) in the region and the world with reserves of over 5.4 billion tonnes of raw bauxite concentrating mostly in the Central Highlands and especially in the areas of ​​Dak Nong province.

 

Nhan Co Alumina Plant project is divided in two phases. Particularly, 2007-2012 period has the capacity of 650,000 tonnes of alumina per year which is expected to be doubled in the period after 2015.

 

When the alumina plant comes into operation, it will reach the average annual turnover of around US$210 million. Along with the implementation of Nhan Co alumina factory investment project, Vinacomin will explore and if feasible, it will soon take investment in electrolytic aluminum plant with the capacity of about 150,000 to 200,000 tonnes per year.

 

Currently, the plant’s experts have presented science research reports on the environmental impact of bauxite mining process and offer measures to mitigate pollution approved by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

 

Vinacomin said that the project is applying Bayer technology and advanced environmental protection standard technology to produce alumina. Bauxite ore mined from Nhan Co has total ore reserves of 270 million tonnes. Raw bauxite is washed at the factory built near the mine will be transferred by conveyor line with the length of approximately 5.5 kilometers to the factory for production of alumina.

 

In bauxite ore plant, cyclic ore with maximum use of washing water made by mud deposition is applied. Ore from ore plant is transported by conveyor housed carefully to avoid rain and limit the spread of dust and noise. Waste water treatment system is operated by advanced technology, ensuring that waste comes into the environment in dry form and turns back into soil after bauxite exploiting.