(News Portal – Dong Nai) - On February 7, a conference was held in Dong Nai to discuss solutions for ensuring construction materials for key national transportation projects in the province.
Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy spoke during the meeting in Dong Nai.
Attending the conference were Minister of Natural Resources and Environment Do Duc Duy, Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan, and representatives from Dong Nai Province, including Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Vu Hong Van, Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc, and Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Duong Minh Dung.
Shortage of Tens of Millions of Cubic Meters of Soil, Sand, and Stone
Deputy Minister of Transport Le Anh Tuan reported on the materials needs.
During the meeting, Deputy Minister Le Anh Tuan informed that there are currently 15 key national transportation projects being implemented in the southern region, primarily scheduled for completion in 2025, with some extending to 2026. These projects have a significant demand for various types of soil, stone, and sand.
Regarding construction stone, the total demand is approximately 21.6 million cubic meters. So far, over 4.6 million cubic meters have been delivered to the construction sites, leaving nearly 17 million cubic meters still needed. Currently, a source of over 5.2 million cubic meters has been identified (primarily from several localities, with Dong Nai accounting for 3.2 million cubic meters), while the remaining sources are yet to be determined.
According to the Deputy Minister, the current challenge is that all key projects are in peak execution phases, leading to a sudden surge in demand for construction stone, which significantly impacts the overall production plans of the quarries. Some projects with substantial demand in 2025 include: Long Thanh Airport (approximately 4.7 million cubic meters), Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway (approximately 1.2 million cubic meters), and Ring Road 3 (approximately 2.3 million cubic meters), while the current supply capacity from quarries does not meet the requirements.
For foundation soil, the Bien Hoa - Vung Tau Expressway project alone has a total demand of 5.2 million cubic meters, but only 0.55 million cubic meters have arrived at the construction site, resulting in a shortfall of 4.7 million cubic meters. To date, Dong Nai has identified a source of 5 million cubic meters, but the quarries have limited reserves and uneven quality. The locations approved by the province are still awaiting procedural guidance to complete the mining license application.
At the meeting, representatives from investors voiced concerns that the scarcity of material sources is affecting construction progress. Contractors suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the provincial government, and quarry owners implement solutions to ensure sufficient material sources for key projects to reach their targets on schedule.
Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Vo Tan Duc stated that there are currently 44 valid mineral exploitation licenses in the province. As of the end of 2024, the remaining reserves of minerals are: construction stone close to 294 million cubic meters, with an extraction capacity of 22.7 million cubic meters/year; construction sand approximately 3.6 million cubic meters, with an extraction capacity of 0.5 million cubic meters/year; fill materials approximately 0.8 million cubic meters, with an extraction capacity of 0.06 million cubic meters/year.
Additionally, the province has planned exploration and exploitation of building materials for various minerals, including: 26 construction stone areas covering 714 hectares, with a forecasted reserve of 56 million cubic meters; 3 sand extraction areas covering 84 hectares, forecasted at 2 million cubic meters; and 89 fill material areas covering 149 hectares, with forecasted resources of 56 million cubic meters.
According to the Chairman, generally, the province has the capacity to balance the needs for stone and fill soil for key national projects. However, for fill sand, the province requests the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to support and direct additional sources from the Mekong Delta provinces.
Chairman Vo Tan Duc of the Provincial People's Committee giving a speech at the conference
Prioritizing Materials for Key Projects
The Chairman also mentioned that although the province can balance the supply of stone and fill soil for projects, there are still some difficulties that need to be resolved.
Specifically, the province has 32 quarries currently in operation, but 25 are facing procedural issues related to license issuance, renewal, and adjustment of investment certificates; 5 quarries have expired licenses... These issues fall under the provincial authority to resolve. The proposed solution is for the Department of Planning and Investment to urgently work with quarry owners to complete the documentation for investment adjustments and licenses before February 15, 2025, to facilitate land procedures and compensation, support, and resettlement. During this time, quarry owners should proactively choose solutions for land use rights agreements or undertake land recovery, compensation, support, and resettlement.
Provincial leaders also suggested that the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment report to the Prime Minister to limit inspections of construction stone and fill material companies in the near future, allowing businesses to focus on completing their procedures and confidently exploit minerals. The provincial government will actively review and guide companies to fully comply with legal procedures concerning investment, minerals, land, and the environment as required.
Minister Do Duc Duy emphasized that many key national projects are currently being implemented in Dong Nai and other southern provinces. Completing and putting these projects into operation is crucial for the socio-economic development of the province, the south, and the entire country.
The Minister requested that by February, a clear supply-demand balance for materials must be established. To achieve this, the Ministry of Transport is to instruct investors and contractors to provide detailed statistics on the types of minerals, quantities, qualities, and timelines needed for each project component, along with proposals for accessible quarries for transportation. Similarly, quarry owners should provide remaining reserves and current production capacities, as well as potential increases in capacity and license extensions.
"Quarries with extended or new licenses must prioritize the supply of materials for urgent national key projects before supplying materials for other construction projects," Minister Do Duc Duy stressed.
He agreed with the proposal from investors to establish a task force to resolve licensing difficulties for mineral extraction quarries. This task force will also be responsible for assisting provincial leaders in coordinating and directing material sources from quarries to each project.