Deputy Prime Minister Tran Hong Ha has just approved the planning for exploration, exploitation, processing and use of minerals in the period 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050.
The objective of the master plan is that mineral resources are strictly managed, exploited, processed, used economically and efficiently, associated with the development needs of the economy, environmental protection, and adaptation to climate change and towards the goal of carbon neutrality.
Accordingly, in the coming period, Vietnam will step up investment and form a synchronous and efficient mining and processing industry with advanced technology and modern equipment in line with the world's trend.
For minerals with large, strategic and important reserves (bauxite, titanium, rare earths, chromite, nickel, copper, gold), enterprises licensed to mine must have sufficient capacity and must invest in suitable processing projects, use advanced technology and modern equipment, and protect the environment sustainably.
Limit and proceed to stop exploiting low-resource, scattered, small-scale mines, concentrating mineral resources from small-scale mines/sites into clusters of mines which are large enough for synchronous investment from exploration, exploitation and processing applying advanced technology and modern equipment.
The plan also sets targets for a number of minerals with large, strategic and important reserves in the 2021-2030 period.
Specifically, with bauxite minerals, the exploration and exploitation must be associated with deep processing (at least to alumina products); selecting investors to carry out exploration and exploitation projects must be capable of synchronously implementing projects from exploration to deep processing. Using advanced technology, modern equipment, environmental protection, special attention should be paid to the sustainable and effective waste treatment and red mud treatment plan.
Encourage enterprises to research and apply new technologies to recycle red mud. New aluminum production projects by electrolysis technology must implement electricity prices according to the market mechanism, which encourages the use of renewable energy. Focusing on promoting cooperation in research, technology transfer, investment in mining and processing titanium synchronously with deep-processed products (pigment, titanium dioxide, metal titanium, high-grade zircon, monazite...) .