Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested Quang Nam Province’s authorities to provide a report on a local $120-million soda plant which has been halted just some months after becoming operational.


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Chu Lai Soda Processing JSC 



Work on Soda Chu Lai Soda Processing JSC or Chu Lai Soda at Nui Thanh District started in April 2010 with the total investment of USD120 million. Until June 2015, the project was put into trial operation, three years behind schedule.  

However, after a short time, hundreds of nearby households complained that their lives were being affected by environmental pollution caused by the factory. According to the residents’ complaints, the factory discharged wastewater directly into the river, causing severe water, air, and noise pollution. The fish in the river died en masse.

Following the environmental problems, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment asked the Department of Central and Central Highlands Environment to inspect the company’s activities.

According to the department’s inspection record, Chu Lai Soda discharged coal and black carbon, both banned substances, into the environment. Along with violations of the discharging process guidelines, the company did not build appropriate wastewater and solid waste treatment facilities.

As a result, the authorities fined the firm VND730 million (USD32,7962). In June 2016, local residents protested Chu Lai Soda’s continued discharge of untreated wastewater into the local river. Meanwhile, the company paid only VND200 million (USD8,973) of the total required fine.

With these violations, it has halted operations since August 2016, leaving 400 employees unemployed, almost all of whom have been waiting for their salaries for three or four months.

At present, the plant owes a total VND2 trillion (USD91 million) to five banks. If the plant’s suspension continues, this will become bad debts.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has requested Quang Nam Province authorities to provide a clear report on the case before February 2018.

Dtinews/VIR