Binh Dinh seeks government support for major projects

The central province of Binh Dinh has asked for Vietnamese government support to facilitate the implementation of its major projects.

They include a 2,000-megawatt offshore wind power project developed by German wind farm developer PNE AG with an estimated investment of $4.6 billion, and the VND56.26 billion ($2.4 billion) Long Son Iron and Steel Complex.

The proposal was made on Sunday at a conference held in Quy Nhon, the capital of Binh Dinh, on the government’s draft action program on socio-economic development in the north-central and central coastal regions by 2030, with vision until 2045.

Huge projects in the pipeline

In its draft action program, the government assigned the Ministry of Transport to invest in building and upgrading expressways connecting international border gates with seaports before 2030, Binh Dinh Party leader Ho Quoc Dung told the conference.

In order to enhance connectivity between provinces in the two regions with those in the Central Highlands, he proposed the government accelerate investment in roads, including the Quy Nhon-Pleiku Expressway, before 2025.

He further said that the Phu Cat Airport, now serving both civil and military purposes, holds a strategic position in terms of security and national defense and plays an important role in the socio-economic development of Binh Dinh and cooperation in developing the central key economic region.

According to the master plan for the development of the national airport system from 2021-2030, with vision until 2050, Phu Cat Airport will become a domestic airport, he said.

At present, the airport includes an apron that accommodates seven planes, a two-story terminal with a designed capacity of 2.5 million passengers per year, and a runway. With the current capacity, Phu Cat Airport is always overloaded, especially during the peak seasons.

Phu Cat Airport in Binh Dinh, central Vietnam. Photo courtesy of Soha News.

To attract domestic and international tourists to Binh Dinh in particular and Vietnam in general, the provincial Party leader proposed the government add the upgrade of Phu Cat Airport to the action program with a view to turning it into an international airport.

“The government should allow Binh Dinh to use its excess annual revenue to invest in the airport’s second runway and devise a plan to mobilize private investments in upgrading and expanding its terminal and apron before 2025,” he suggested.

Also at the conference, Dung proposed the government include PNE AG's offshore wind power project in the power development plan for the 2021-2030 period, with vision until 2045, and allow it to be implemented in Binh Dinh.

In addition, the government should focus on the appraisal and related issues for the Long Son Iron and Steel Complex project, he added.

Prioritizing 5 growth pillars

Dung said Binh Dinh has been implementing important solutions to effectively tap its potential and advantages.

The province is focusing on completing the provincial plan for 2021-2030, with vision until 2045. On the basis of the approved planning, it will adjust, supplement, and devise development plans for specific sectors and fields.

“Binh Dinh will prioritize resources to develop five growth pillars, including industry; tourism; port and logistics services; development of hi-tech agriculture, forestry and fisheries; and urban economic development associated with urbanization,” Dung said.

In addition, the province will effectively realize three breakthroughs: creating a drastic change in the investment environment and improving local competitiveness to attract domestic and foreign investors; training and improving the quality of human resources; and building a synchronous and modern socio-economic infrastructure system, he added.

According to the secretary of the provincial Party Committee, the province will continue to link with localities in the central and southern parts of the central region and especially the Central Highlands to form economic sub-regions that support and complement each other in development.

It will effectively promote economic corridors in the region, especially the East-West economic corridor connecting Binh Dinh with provinces in the north of the Central Highlands, southern Laos, and northeast Cambodia; improve the operational efficiency of the Quy Nhon port cluster; and invest in upgrading Phu Cat Airport to international standards.

(Source: The Investor)