Ministry expands scale of minerals exploitation

Minerals are exploited in Xuân Cảnh Commune, Sông Cầu Town in Phú Yên Province. — VNA/VNS Photo Xuân Triệu

HÀ NỘI — Minerals exploitation in the coming time will not only be on the mainland but also extended to islands and the continental shelf across the country, according to planning released on Friday by the Ministry of Construction (MOC).

The planning was approved by the Prime Minister in Decision 1626/QĐ-TTg on December 25 last year.

In the “Planning for exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals as construction materials for the 2021-30 period, with a vision to 2050″, Việt Nam will explore 518 mineral areas and issue mining licences for 931 others in the period.

In the period to 2050, the industry will explore 177 mineral areas and grant mining licences to 931 others.

Total resources in the planning are 26.6 billion tonnes of minerals of different kinds.

Talking about reasons for expanding the exploitation scope, Deputy Minister of Construction Nguyễn Văn Sinh said that to well manage the exploitation, processing and use of resources in the right direction and based on legal regulations, updating the planning was necessary and appropriate.

Đào Công Vũ, deputy director of the National Institute of Mining – Metallurgy Science and Technology under the Ministry of Industry and Trade, emphasised that planning in general and planning for exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals as construction materials in particular, were the basis for licensing mineral activities.

The planning must be in accordance with the potential of each type of mineral and each stage of the country’s development.

The previous planning showed that the results of basic geological surveys were limited and had not been regularly and systematically updated.

Information on many mineral areas in the planning is not accurate or complete, according to the official.

In addition, the planning targets that by 2030, the industry of exploiting and processing minerals as construction materials will become a modern and green industry.

It will thoroughly apply smart technology solutions, big data and artificial intelligence, and meet the needs of domestic consumption and export of high value-added products.

Along with that, recent planning for urban areas, industrial parks and eco-tourism are overlapping with the mineral exploitation planning in some localities.

At present, mineral exploration is not at a depth to fully exploit reserves, so the mineral reserve assessment is not exact, leading to waste.

Vũ said that the previous planning was also having problems in some places which have been put into prohibited areas.

The Law on Planning regulates planning adjustment according to new regulations with a period of 10 years and a vision of 30-50 years.

Vũ added that the planning aimed to sustainably develop exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals as effective construction materials.

It aimed to meet the economy’s needs for raw materials, commensurate with mineral potential, while minimising negative impacts on the ecological environment and landscape.

​The planning would also promote the efficiency of existing facilities for processing and using minerals as construction materials, increasing investment in technological innovation to improve product quality, save mineral resources and energy, and reduce costs.

Deputy Minister Sinh said that the new planning basically resolved the shortcomings and obstacles in the previous one, especially the overlap between mineral areas with local socio-economic development areas and prohibited areas. — VNS