Ba Ria-Vung Tau (VNA) – Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc gave theorder to start construction on the Long Son Petrochemicals (LSP) Complex – thefirst of its kind in Vietnam – at a ceremony on February 24 in the southernprovince of Ba Ria-Vung Tau.

The event also sawthe presence of Thai Ambassador to Vietnam Manopchai Vonghakdi besides localofficials.

The 464ha project isinvested by the Long Son Petrochemical Co. Ltd., a joint venture betweenThailand’s Siam Cement Group (SCG) and the Vietnam National Oil and Gas Group(PetroVietnam), with a total capital of 5.4 billion USD.

Once operational in2022, the complex is expected to have a capacity of 1.6 million tonnes ofolefin per year.

According toChairman of Ba Ria-Vung Tau provincial People’s Committee Nguyen Van Trinh, duringconstruction, the project will create jobs for around 20,000 labourers. Onceoperational, it is expected to create jobs for over 1,000 technical workers andcontribute about 60 million USD per year to the provincial and the statebudget.

Speaking at theevent, PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that the start of the project was good news forVietnam’s petrochemical sector.

As this was theinitial phase of the project, the investor should exert efforts to ensure theproject’s progress and apply advanced technologies in order to ensureabsolutely safe operation, he stated.

He asked Ba Ria-VungTau province to supervise the investor’s compliance to  regulations on protecting the natural andsocial environments, maintaining locals’ traditional culture, and restoringlocal natural forests to serve sustainable and long-term development.

Given the largenumber of workers participating in the project’s construction, the Governmentleader requested the investor, contractors and the province to strictly obeylabour safety regulations.

The investor andlocality also need to ensure long-term resettlement for locals, includingvocational training, while local communities should facilitate the constructionof the project, he said.

Emphasising that theproject’s success is Vietnam’s success, PM Phuc asked ministries, sectors,PetroVietnam and Ba Ria-Vung Tau to create favourable conditions for theproject, which besides its economic value also has a great politicalsignificance in the context of the Vietnam-Thailand strategic partnership.

SCG is one of theleading corporations in Southeast Asia with interests in cement production,construction materials, chemicals and packaging. It now has over 200subsidiaries and more than 57,000 employers. It began investing in Vietnam in1992.-VNA