Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung on December 2 attended a ceremony to start construction on the Ha Tinh Formosa steel plant in the Vung Ang economic zone in Ky Anh district, Ha Tinh.

 

This is one of the largest projects by the Formosa group of Taiwan (China) in the Vung Ang economic zone, with 15 billion USD invested. The project covers 3,300 hectares and includes a steel metallurgy mill, a seaport capable of receiving 300,000-tonne ships and a 2,100 megawatt thermal electricity plant. It is expected to produce 7 million tonnes of steel ingots in phase one.

Addressing the event, PM Dung hailed Formosa’s efforts in implementing facilities on time and affirmed that the Government will create all favourable conditions for international investors to do long-term business in Vietnam, including Formosa group.

The same day, Dung inspected the construction of Vung Ang 1 thermal electricity plant in the Vung Ang economic zone.

Earlier on December 1, the Prime Minister had a working session with key officials from the neighbouring province of Nghe An to remove obstacles and fully utilise the province’s potential to facilitate rapid and sustainable development.

He asked Nghe An to concentrate on administrative reform and create favourable conditions to attract investment. It also needs to accelerate trade and tourism promotion, expand its export market and monitor budget collection and spending, he said.

Nghe An should pay more attention to developing education and healthcare, implementing programmes to reduce poverty, particularly in western districts, which border Laos.

The Government will always support and creates favourable conditions for Nghe An to continue developing, Dung assured.

He praised efforts made by the provincial Party committee, authorities and people to implement the 2012 socio-economic development tasks, maintaining agricultural, industrial and service growth and reducing the rate of household poverty by 5 percent.

Prime Minister Dung was briefed on the province’s socio-economic development. The gross domestic product is estimated to expand by 6.63 percent in 2012. Average per-capita income may exceed 20 million VND.

Nghe An has fulfilled 18 of 24 socio-economic development targets for 2012.

Next year, Nghe An will strive to increase GDP by 6.5-7.5 percent, lower the poverty rate to 12.5 percent and generate 36,000-37,000 new jobs.

Also the same day, Prime Minister Dung and his entourage held a working session with soldiers and officers from Military Zone 4 stationed in Nghe An province./.

(CPV/VNA)