VietNamNet Bridge – Export processing zones (EPZ) and industrial zones (IZs) in the south of Vietnam now focus on attracting hi-tech and environment friendly projects. Meanwhile, big industrial projects such as Holcim, Akzo Nobel have been trying to renovate their production technologies in order to build up green IZs.

According to Vu Van Hoa, Head of the HCM City Management Board for EPZ and IZ (Hepza), the city now has 290 hectares of idle land ready for attracting hi-tech projects, which do not require many laborers and do not cause pollution to the environment. Of this area, Dong Nam IZ still has 150 hectare of idle land, Tan Phu Trung IZ 100 hectares and Tan Thuan EPZ 40 hectares.

Hoa said that over the last three years, Hepza has been tightening the licensing mechanism, refusing to grant licenses to labor intensive projects, and the projects which may cause pollution to the environment. Especially, it prioritizes to attract investment into four key industries: precise mechanical engineering, electricity and electronics, information technology, pharmaceutical industry and food processing.

“The number of the projects with advanced technologies, high concentration of grey matter and high added value remains modest. Our goal is to build a system of EPZs and IZs which are green, clean and sustainably developing.” Hoa dais.

In the near future, 100 percent of EPZs and IZs must have concentrated waste water treatment systems, 100 percent have solid waste transfer station, and all the EPZs and IZs will have to be equipped with automatic observer systems.

Y.T.Young, General Director of the Tan Thuan Industrial Zone Development Company said the company is developing a multi-storey office and workshop area – E-Office – which covers an area of 40 hectares, in order to attract hi-tech technique investors, and software and service projects.

The Tan Thuan EPZ will develop in different stages with stable energy sources and high speed telecommunication infrastructure compatible to the businesses in the fields of information technology, telecommunication, biotechnology, research and development activities, operators, services and logistics.

The basic infrastructure items of the area are expected to be completed by the end of the year. After the first 20 years of development, the EPZ, which initially attracted labor intensive projects, has shifted to attract hi-tech projects in the fields of mechanical engineering, automobile, electronics and semiconductor, which have high techniques and can create higher export value.

Being the locality which was later than other provinces in the southern key economic zone in developing industries, Long An province is now gearing up to encourage investors to build up clean IZs. DNN Tan Phu IZ in Duc Hoa, which is expected to cover an area of 262 hectares, kicked off its construction in September 2011, is the first IZ in the province that attracts the projects in supporting industries, especially in mechanical engineering and biotechnology.

According to Hoang Minh, Managing Director of DNN Tan Phu Company, the developer of DNN Tan Phu IZ, two Taiwanese investors have registered the projects to grow mushrooms on the area of 2 hectares in the IZ.

Minh said that he well knows the trend of building clean IZs, therefore, Tan Phu IZ prioritizes the investment projects to make electronic parts, precise mechanical engineering products and biotechnology.

Meanwhile, Gary Schutz, General Director of Holcim Vietnam, said that in order to obtain the sustainable development, it is necessary to have the harmonization between making profits and fulfilling social responsibility and minimizing the impacts to the environment.

The industrialization process has created big challenges to the environment and society, with the increasing high level of air and water pollution.

He said that Holcim has set up a production line which allows take full advantage of the heat churned out during the production from the Hon Chong cement factory in Kien Giang province to run a 6.3 MW power plant. The investment helps reduce 25.3 tonnes of C02 a year.

Source: TBKTVN