Vietnam: Chen Liang-chuan, the Taiwanese founder of Taipei-based Lucky Cement, has had his US$160m Ninh Binh Cement plant in Vietnam thrown into doubt by the Vietnamese government changing its mind on a decision to award the plant limestone mining rights.
Liang-chuan has invested in the 4Mt/yr project since 2008 after being awarded the right by the local government to mine a 72-hectare limestone field for 49 years. The project was approved by Nguyen and related ministries. However, just as the plant's two new production lines were set to begin trial runs, the local Ninh Binh government rejected the request to begin exploiting the field, because it had designated the field part of the Trang An Scenic Landscape Complex. It plans to apply to UNESCO in September 2013 to have the complex recognised as a world heritage site.
Sources at Lucky Cement said that Vietnamese authorities were trying to find another limestone mine to replace the original field, but they were worried that a new mine location would entail additional transportation costs.
