Decision No. 05/2008/QĐ-BCT Approves the Planning for Exploration, Exploitation, Processing, and Utilization of Tin, Tungsten, and Antimony Ores for the Period 2007-2015, Considering Up to 2025

 

Pursuant to …;

Approving the planning for exploration, exploitation, processing, and utilization zones of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores for the period 2007-2015, with consideration up to 2025

Approving the planning for exploration, exploitation, processing, and utilization zones of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores for the period 2007-2015, with consideration up to 2025

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THE MINISTER OF INDUSTRY AND TRADE

Pursuant to the Law on Minerals dated March 20, 1996, and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Minerals dated June 14, 2005;

Pursuant to Decree No. 160/2005/NĐ-CP dated December 27, 2005 of the Government detailing and guiding the implementation of the Law on Minerals and the Law Amending and Supplementing Certain Provisions of the Law on Minerals;

Pursuant to Decree No. 189/2007/NĐ-CP dated December 27, 2007 of the Government stipulating the functions, tasks, powers, and organizational structure of the Ministry of Industry and Trade;

Implementing Announcement No. 5487/VPCP-CN dated November 28, 2007 of the Government Office announcing the Prime Minister's opinion regarding the delegation of authority to the Minister of Industry (now the Ministry of Industry and Trade) to approve the planning for exploration, exploitation, processing, and utilization zones of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores for the period 2007-2015, with consideration up to 2025;

Considering Report No. 402/TTr-NCPT dated October 24, 2007 of the Director of the Institute for Strategy and Policy Studies on Industry;

Considering the proposals of the Heads of the Departments of Planning and Heavy Industry;

DECISION:

Article 1.Approving the Planning for Exploration, Exploitation, Processing, and Utilization Zones of Tin, Tungsten, and Antimony Ores for the Period 2007-2015, with Consideration Up to 2025, with the following main contents:

I. DEVELOPMENT VIEWS

1. Developing the industry of exploitation and processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores in accordance with the planning for industrial development of Vietnam, the economic and social development planning of localities, ensuring harmony between national and local interests, creating conditions for developing infrastructure, stabilizing and improving the living standards of local residents where minerals are exploited and processed.

2. Developing the industry of exploitation and processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores in accordance with the requirements for consolidating national defense security, protecting valuable cultural works, and protecting the ecological environment in areas with mineral resources.

3. Ensuring sustainable, safe, and economically efficient exploitation and processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores based on rational and economical exploitation of national resources and the use of imported mineral raw materials.

4. Developing the exploitation and processing of tin and antimony ores primarily relying on domestic capacity. Combining domestic capacity with foreign investment to develop the exploitation and processing of tungsten ores. Encouraging domestic and foreign economic sectors to participate in producing high-quality and high-value-added tin, tungsten, and antimony metals and alloys.

5. Carrying out exploration activities ahead of schedule to create a reliable resource base of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores for subsequent exploitation and processing activities.

II. DEVELOPMENT OBJECTIVES

- Ensuring effective and sustainable exploration, exploitation, and processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores, meeting the maximum demand for raw materials of the metallurgical industry and other industries, with a reasonable portion of concentrate, intermediate products, and metals for export.

- Strengthening legal discipline in the management and protection of tin, tungsten, and antimony ore resources, ensuring safe, thorough, and economical exploitation of resources, and protecting the ecological environment in areas with mineral resources.

- Ensuring the target production volume of various types of refined tin from domestic tin ore sources reaching approximately 2,600 tons in 2010, and over 3,000 tons from 2015. In the post-2010 phase, the proportion of refined tin type I in total refined tin production should reach over 80%.

- Ensuring the production volume of tungsten concentrate (WO₃) and tungsten alloy from domestic tungsten ore sources reaching approximately 3,600 tons WO₃and about 1,000 tons of alloy in 2010, and 4,900-5,000 tons WO₃and 3,000-3,500 tons of alloy from 2015.

- Ensuring the production volume of refined antimony from domestic antimony ore sources reaching approximately 1,000 tons in 2010, and over 1,600 tons from 2015.

III. ZONES OF PROHIBITION, TEMPORARY PROHIBITION, RESTRICTION ON MINERAL ACTIVITIES AND NATIONAL RESERVE OF TIN, TUNGSTEN, AND ANTIMONY MINERALS

1. Restricted mineral activity zone: original Son Kim tin ore deposit (including Khe Bun mine), Huong Son district, Ha Tinh province.

2. National mineral reserve area: Na Ca tin sand deposit (about 20 km²) and the remaining part of the Chau Cuong tin sand deposit, Quy Hop district, Nghe An province.

3. Mines and deposits of tin, tungsten, and antimony that are prohibited or temporarily prohibited from mineral activities as follows:

IV. DEMAND FOR TIN, TUNGSTEN, AND ANTIMONY IN VIETNAM

1. Forecasted demand for tin, tungsten, and antimony in metallic form is as follows:

Unit: tons

2. Supply-demand balance:

a. The supply-demand balance for domestic production, consumption, and import-export of refined tin and tin products is forecasted as follows:

Unit: tons

b. The supply-demand balance for domestic production, consumption, and import-export of tungsten metal and tungsten products is forecasted as follows:

Unit: tons

c. The supply-demand balance for domestic production, consumption, and import-export of refined antimony and antimony products is forecasted as follows:

Unit: tons

V. PLANNING FOR THE EXPLORATION OF TIN, NIOBIUM AND ANTIMONY ORES

1. Exploration of Tin Ores

- Prioritize the exploration of placer tin ores, followed by primary tin ores from mines and ore points in the Pia Oắc region (Cao Bằng province) and Tam Đảo region (Tuyên Quang and Thái Nguyên provinces).

- In other ore regions, prioritize the exploration and supplementary exploration of promising mines and ore points that align with the progress of resource mobilization for exploitation to ensure the common development goals of the tin industry.

- For the period 2007-2015: implement 17 exploration projects.

- For the period 2016-2025: implement 10 exploration projects.

The main list of tin ore exploration projects is detailed in Section A1 of the attached Appendix.

- The capital investment requirement for tin ore exploration during the period 2007-2025 is approximately 235 billion VND, of which the period 2007-2015 requires about 100 billion VND.

2. Exploration of Niobium Ores

- Initially, by 2010, conduct surveys and evaluations, and explore the Hỗ Quáng Phìn niobium ore area (Hà Giang province); supplementarily explore primary niobium ores at the Thiện Kế and Hội Kế zones of the Thiện Kế mine (Tuyên Quang province).

- After 2010, niobium ore exploration will focus on the Dak Rmang area, Dak Nong province (following the results of potential surveys there).

The main list of niobium ore exploration projects is detailed in Section B of the attached Appendix.

3. Exploration of Antimony Ores

- For the period 2007-2015: Conduct exploration of the Bó Mới antimony ore point to supplement raw materials for the antimony smelting plant in Hà Giang province; supplementarily explore the Làng Vài mine, focusing on accompanying gold, to prepare for the resumption of production at the Làng Vài mine and research investment in the Chiêm Hóa antimony ingot smelting plant in Tuyên Quang province.

- For the period 2016-2025: In addition to the Dương Huy antimony ore exploration project (Quảng Ninh province), it is planned to invest in exploring several promising ore points selected from the results of antimony ore surveys in the Lô-Gâm structural belt in Hà Giang province (Yên Minh, Mèo Vạc) and Cao Bằng province, within the Nậm Chảy area of Lào Cai province.

The main list of antimony ore exploration projects is detailed in Section C1 of the attached Appendix.

- The capital investment requirement for antimony ore exploration during the period 2007-2025 is approximately 60-80 billion VND, of which the period 2007-2015 requires about 30 billion VND.

VI. PLANNING FOR THE EXPLOITATION AND PROCESSING OF TIN ORES

1. Planning for the Exploitation and Processing of Tin Ores

- Increase the exploitation and processing of primary tin ores to offset the decline in production of placer tin ores in the Pia Oắc and Tam Đảo regions; intensify investment and technological innovation to ensure the efficiency of exploiting and processing low-grade placer tin ores, fine-grained primary tin ores, tin-niobium ores, and tin-lead-zinc-silver ores.

- By 2015, concentrate on exploiting residual tin ores from tailings and waste in the Pia Oắc and Tam Đảo regions and other areas.

- Maintain small-scale exploitation activities appropriate to local resources and capabilities, contributing to meeting the needs of existing tin concentrate-smelting plants and new construction plans.

- In major tin ore regions, it is planned to implement 17 industrial-scale mining and processing projects, including 3 projects to maintain and expand production, 14 new mine construction projects, and 4-5 projects oriented towards the post-2020 period.

The main list of mining and processing projects is detailed in Section A2 of the attached Appendix.

2. Planning for the Concentration and Smelting of Tin Ingots

By 2015, complete the expansion phase I of the tin ingot electrolysis production line of the Nghệ Tĩnh Color Metals Company; construct three new tin concentrate-smelting plants of type I in Tuyên Quang, Hà Tĩnh, and Lâm Đồng provinces, and one tin ingot electrolysis production line of type I in Nghệ An province.

The main list of concentration and smelting projects of type I is detailed in Section A3 of the attached Appendix.

3. Capital Investment Requirements for Tin Ore Mining and Processing and Tin Ingot Smelting

The capital investment requirement for tin ore mining and processing and smelting during the period 2007-2025 is approximately 630 billion VND, including 560 billion VND for mining and processing investments and 70 billion VND for deep processing investments (concentration, smelting, and refining), of which the period 2007-2015 requires about 500 billion VND.

VII. PLANNING FOR THE EXPLOITATION AND PROCESSING OF NIOBIUM ORES

- Invest in upgrading and expanding production at the Thiện Kế mine and develop additional industrial and small-scale mining and processing projects to address employment issues and increase mineral raw material sources for processing facilities.

- Accelerate the implementation progress of the multi-metal niobium ore exploitation and processing project at the Núi Pháo mine of the Nuiphaovica joint venture and the export-oriented niobium alloy production plant project of the Vietnam Youngsun Niobium Industry Joint Stock Company.

The main list of mining and processing projects is detailed in Section B of the attached Appendix.

- The capital investment requirement for niobium ore exploitation and processing during the period 2007-2025 is approximately 5,200 billion VND (mainly in the period 2007-2015), of which foreign direct investment (Nuiphaovica joint venture and Vietnam Youngsun Niobium Industry Joint Stock Company) is approximately 5,160 billion VND.

VIII. PLANNING FOR THE EXPLOITATION AND PROCESSING OF ANTIMONY ORES

- Innovate processing technology, improve antimony and gold recovery rates in the processing of multi-metal ores containing antimony (mainly gold ores).

- Intensify the exploitation and processing of antimony ores from the Mậu Duệ mine and other mines and ore points in Hà Giang province to meet the maximum demand for antimony concentrates of the antimony ingot smelting plant in Hà Giang province.

- Implement the project to restore the Làng Vài mine for research and investment in the Chiêm Hóa antimony ingot smelting plant; the joint venture project for the exploitation and processing of antimony ores and antimony ingot smelting in Cẩm Phả city, Quảng Ninh province, to produce products by 2010.

The main list of mining and processing projects is detailed in Section C2 of the attached Appendix.

- The capital investment requirement for antimony ore exploitation and processing during the period 2007-2025 is approximately 140 billion VND (mainly in the period 2007-2015), of which foreign direct investment is approximately 42 billion VND.

IX. CAPITAL INVESTMENT REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE INDUSTRY OF EXPLOITATION AND PROCESSING OF TIN, NIOBIUM AND ANTIMONY ORES IN THE PERIOD 2007-2025

The total capital demand for developing the tin ore, tungsten, and antimony mining and processing industry in our country from now until 2025 is estimated at approximately 6.130 to 6.200 billion VND, of which foreign direct investment is expected to be around 5.200 billion VND.

X. MAJOR SOLUTIONS AND POLICIES

1. General solutions and policies

a. Establishing national mineral resource policies for tin, tungsten, and antimony to ensure sustainable development of the tin, tungsten, and antimony ore mining and processing industry with key contents such as:

- Protecting, exploiting, and using domestic resources efficiently and reasonably.

- Implementing the policy of cooperation in investment in tin, tungsten, and antimony ore exploitation in countries in the region (Laos, Cambodia).

- Encouraging the processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores into high-quality metals and alloys to meet domestic needs and for export.

b. Promoting the shareholding reform and establishment of new joint-stock companies with the participation of scientific and technological research organizations operating in geological, mining, and ore dressing fields, as well as tin, antimony, and tungsten smelting. Encouraging companies to list on the stock market to diversify ownership forms and attract domestic and foreign resources to develop the tin, tungsten, and antimony ore mining and processing industry.

c. Enhancing the social responsibility of businesses in tin, tungsten, and antimony mining activities such as: contributing to infrastructure construction; attracting, training, and utilizing local labor; implementing measures to protect the ecological environment and actively participating in improving the social environment.

2. Specific solutions and policies

a. Market solutions: Developing and building the domestic tin, tungsten, and antimony markets according to a competitive mechanism, closely cooperating to ensure raw material sources for existing, ongoing, and planned construction projects; gradually participating in international markets.

b. Research, transfer, and reception of science and technology:

- Perfecting complete and closed-loop technologies for ore extraction and gravity and flotation concentration from mining (shaft) to processing poor tin ores (placer and primary). Paying attention to researching effective processing technologies for associated tungsten in tin ores, antimony in gold ores, and polymetallic ores (lead, zinc, silver...). Building technological processes for combined state-enterprise-scientific and technological enterprise-mineral processing enterprise cooperation.

- Continuously innovating and perfecting metallurgical technologies, constantly improving the quality of tin ingots and antimony ingots.

- Cooperating with foreign countries to research and produce tungsten metal, alloys, and intermediate products of high-quality tin, tungsten, and antimony.

c. Developing and training human resources: Cooperating with training institutions (vocational schools, colleges, universities) to train and retrain staff and researchers for mining, ore dressing, and metallurgy stages suitable for the scale and characteristics of Vietnam's tin, tungsten, and antimony minerals. Emphasizing the training of leadership and business management teams with qualifications to meet the requirements of developing enterprises in a global competitive environment.

d. Environmental protection: Enterprises engaged in mineral exploration, mining, ore dressing, and metallurgy must fully implement all environmental protection measures in exploration, mining, ore dressing, and metallurgy stages towards applying modern, environmentally friendly technologies; strictly implementing post-mining land restoration and environmental recovery. Ensuring industrial hygiene and workplace safety during production. Encouraging the research and application of advanced environmental treatment technologies in all production stages.

đ. Investment capital solutions:To attract approximately 6.130 to 6.200 billion VND for the development of the tin, tungsten, and antimony ore mining and processing industry in our country by 2025, it is expected to mobilize from the following sources:

- Self-raised capital of enterprises.

- State budget: supporting the construction of technical infrastructure outside the fence for large-scale tin, antimony, and tungsten mining areas, investing in training and scientific research work of institutes and schools in the industry.

- State credit investment capital: projects for mining, processing, and smelting tin and antimony ingots if invested in economically disadvantaged and particularly disadvantaged areas according to current regulations.

- Commercial loans domestically and internationally.

- Capital from financial organizations through equipment leasing, purchase financing, seller credit for technology and equipment.

- Foreign investment: joint ventures with foreign countries in large-scale tungsten and antimony ore mining and processing projects.

e. State management solutions:

- Regularly reviewing, updating, and adjusting the planning for the development of the tin, tungsten, and antimony ore exploration, mining, and processing industry to suit the country's socio-economic development and international situation.

- Building and perfecting the management mechanism for mineral exploration, mining, and processing towards centralization to ensure unity and strictness, avoiding overlap, enhancing the mobility and effectiveness of management, protection, and exploitation of tin, antimony, and tungsten ore resources.

- Rectifying the management of mineral resources and statistical reporting of tin, tungsten, and antimony mining activities regularly from grassroots to provincial and ministerial levels. Measures and sanctions will be taken against organizations and individuals who fail to comply with relevant laws. Strengthening inspections of mining activities to prevent illegal mining and export of minerals.

g. Other solutions:

- Reforming the issuance of mineral operation permits towards facilitating procedures, transparency, and ensuring strict management of mineral operations.

- Review and amend the criteria for calculating reserves and forecasted resources of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores to be consistent with the increasing prices of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores and metals, advancements in mining and processing science and technology...

XI. IMPLEMENTATION ORGANIZATION

1. The Ministry of Industry and Trade shall be responsible for announcing and directing the implementation of the Plan. Regularly updating and adjusting the Plan and proposing sustainable development mechanisms and policies for the tin, tungsten, and antimony ore mining and processing industry, ensuring consistency and suitability with economic and social development conditions and international integration commitments.

2. The Ministries of Natural Resources and Environment, Science and Technology, Planning and Investment, Finance, Transport, and Information and Communications shall, within their respective functions and responsibilities, take the lead and coordinate with the Ministry of Industry and Trade to implement specific measures and policies outlined in this Decision.

3. People's Committees of provinces and centrally governed cities:

- Organize management and protection of tin, tungsten, and antimony ore resources within their jurisdictions; prevent illegal mining and export of minerals.

- Define and approve areas prohibited, temporarily prohibited, and restricted from tin, tungsten, and antimony mineral activities.

- Coordinate with state management agencies and enterprises to implement projects specified in this Decision.

- Organize the preparation and submission of plans for exploration, mining, and processing of tin, tungsten, and antimony ores within their jurisdiction and consistent with this Plan for approval by the People's Councils at the same level.

Article 2.This Decision takes effect fifteen days after its publication in the Official Gazette.

Article 3. Ministers, heads of ministerial-level agencies, and chairpersons of provincial and centrally governed city People's Committees are responsible for implementing this Decision./.