Gia Lai province is rich in natural resources and minerals but the commercial production was previously too small, leading to a very low economic value. To solve that shortcoming, in recent years, the province has strived and directed the exploitation of natural resources and minerals to obtain the highest efficiency to give a facelift to the provincial economy and improve the living standards of local people.
Effective production
Mineral resources in Gia Lai province are very rich and crucial to the provincial economy. According to statistic data, Gia Lai has more than 301mineralised places and ores with 43 types of minerals like dolomite, magnetite, bauxite, lead, volastonite, gold, gemstone and rare earth. The province is also rich in minerals for construction material production such as limestone, basalt stone, granite stone and sand.
Especially, Gia Lai has peat mines in Bien Ho and Chu Pah, whose reserves are enough to manufacture micro-organic fertilisers. In addition, the province has many potentialities to develop hydropower. Gia Lai has two large river systems, namely Se San and Ba. With a slope terrain, the river systems are suitable for building many large-sized hydropower plants. Additionally, upstream stream systems of these two river systems are suitable for building smaller hydroelectric plants with capacity of 300-400 MW. The presence of hydropower plants will energise the industrialisation and modernisation of the provincial economy.
From explorative results, the mineral reserves are profuse in the province. Gia Lai has plans to exploit its natural endowments systematically to ensure the ecological balance and protect the environment. Led by the policy of exploiting natural minerals to accelerate the economic development, Gia Lai province introduced plans with rational and specific steps to develop this industry. The province issued investment policies, re-planned the mining and processing industries of gold, bauxite and granite stone, etc., stopped exportation of raw minerals and only granted production licences for companies with qualified processing facilities. With rational management, the mining and processing industries have made long strides and generated huge profits for the locality.
Based on the Law on Minerals, the Land Law, the Law on Environment Protection, the Law on Forest Management and Protection, and several legal documents of the government, the People’s Committee of Gia Lai province has applied suitable regulations on mining and processing.
In regards to hydropower development, the province has soon determined the crucial role of hydropower in the provincial economy. It has introduced many policies to attract investors. Currently, Gia Lai has many large-scaled hydroelectric projects invested in by the central government, including the 720-MW Ya Ly hydroelectric plant, the 260-MW Se San 3 hydroelectric plant, the 180-MW Se San 3A hydroelectric plant and the 160-MW Se San 4 hydroelectric plant. Among these, Ya Ly hydroelectric plant and the first turbine of the Se San 3 and Se San 3A hydroelectric plants have started generating electricity, bringing high economic values not only for the province but also for the nation. Gia Lai province is measuring the potentiality to introduce new power projects to investors. It also has implemented many policies to attract investors to build dozens of hydroelectric plants, which are now in blueprint.
Toward sustainable development
Mindful that mineral resources are rich but not unlimited, the People’s Committee of Gia Lai province soon set up plans to manage and exploit minerals effectively and sustainably to protect the environment. Particularly, after planning the mineral production and processing zones, the provincial authorities revoked production permits from ineffective small producers to grant to larger ones with qualified processing facilities. Licensed producers must sign on environmental protection agreements. Besides, the province has also mapped out the mineral exploration, exploitation, processing and use plan for the period from 2009 to 2015, with vision to 2020. It also bans mining activities in specific locations. At the same time, the provincial authorities approved the one-door mechanism for licensing exploration, exploitation and processing of minerals. Thus, they can easily manage unrecyclable resources for sustainable development.
In the coming time, the province will direct enterprises to invest in advanced mining and processing equipment and technologies to take all of ores and minerals to maximise economic efficiency, to use local labour forces and increase tax revenues. At the same time, the province will build infrastructure systems for mining and processing locations. It also inspects operating capacity of mining units if they perform poorly or disregard the mining regulations. Gia Lai is planning to bring mineral processing units into industrial parks and industrial complexes to facilitate environmental treatments and help enterprises popularise their products more easily.
According to Mr Hoang Dinh Chung, Deputy Director of the Department of Natural Resources and Environment, the province will more actively attract companies to invest in mineral production and processing industries. “The province will create all favourable conditions for capable enterprises with qualified technological and environmental requirements to carry out mining and processing projects. In reality, Gia Lai is very rich in mineral resources and we indeed need the cooperation from enterprises to exploit our resources and advantages effectively to create a breakthrough in economic development. We pledge to guide and solve procedural matters in the quickest manner and apply investment incentives provided by the State in general and the province in particular,” he said.
My Chau
Vietnamese
