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It is necessary to remove obstacles for the development of eco-industrial parks

(News Portal – Dong Nai) - With the goal of improving the environmental protection and socio-economic efficiency of Vietnamese industries, through implementing the industrial park model of building eco-friendly industrial parks. Over the past 3 years, Amata Industrial Park has made efforts to fulfill the criteria and has achieved remarkable results. However, besides the achievements, Amata Industrial Park still faces some obstacles during the implementation process. 

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Amata Industrial Park has met criteria for infrastructure and green areas in the industrial park 

Initial results  

Amata Industrial Park is one of 5 industrial parks in the country piloting the construction of an ecological industrial park model following the approach from the Global Eco-Industrial Park Program sponsored by the Swiss Federal Bureau of Economic Affairs (SECO). However, up to now, the eco-industrial park model has not been completed due to a number of policies.

According to experts implementing the pilot eco-industrial park model at Amata Industrial Park, during the project implementation period, the team of experts contacted 30 businesses and managed to   persuade 18 of them to sign up for the eco-industrial park project.
Up to now, Amata Industrial Park has achieved a number of results for the criteria, the most prominent of which is the completed construction of shared service infrastructure such as: squares, commercial centers... In addition, some criteria are being carried out outstandingly, such as vocational training, job introduction services for businesses in the industrial park; sharing firefighting services with Bien Hoa City and neighboring industrial parks which has been implemented by Amata Industrial Park for many years. Moreover, Amata Industrial Park is also assessing and implementing ideas such as developing renewable energy for companies in Amata Industrial Park; purchasing excess electricity to supply to urban areas and companies in need; utilizing treated wastewater to water plants within the industrial park and surrounding urban areas; building daycare facilities for workers and neighboring residents... These are works that are being assessed and implemented by Amata Industrial Park to see if they are feasible in the near future.

During the implementation process, Amata Industrial Park encountered a number of challenges and obstacles. Specifically, the legal regulations on using recycled water, solar energy, and renewable energy are not clear, causing confusion during the implementation; specific mechanisms to support businesses in applying green and clean circular technology are still lacking; support policies for infrastructure owners to convert models into eco-industrial parks…

Promptly remove obstacles
According to the representative of Vietnam Cleaner Production Centre Co., Ltd. (Hanoi), the consulting unit implementing the ecological industrial park, ideas proposed by Amata Industrial Park such as the idea of industrial symbiosis between Amata Industrial Park and surrounding urban areas; developing renewable energy for companies in Amata Industrial Park; reusing treated wastewater to water plants within Amata Industrial Park and neighboring urban areas... all have factors that ensure success and have been researched and analyzed for specific economic benefits.

Amata Industrial Park wastewater treatment plant has a design capacity of 12 thousand m3/day, actual operating capacity is 5.8 thousand m3/day. Meanwhile, the green area of Amata Industrial Park reaches nearly 70 hectares. Every day, about 1,000 m3 of water is needed to water plants in the dry season (from January to May every year), estimated to require about 140,000 m3 and cost over 1.7 billion VND. Therefore, if this issue is fulfilled, Amata Industrial Park will reduce the cost of buying water, and also have the opportunity to sell water to neighboring areas, both saving costs and increasing revenue from selling treated waste water.

Currently, the progress of developing eco-industrial parks is hindered because the implementation of the criteria has its own barriers. At a workshop on attracting green investment that took place last October in Dong Nai province, Vice Chairwoman of Dong Nai Provincial People's Committee Nguyen Thi Hoang said that although there were very clear regulations under the decree (Decree No. 35/2022/ND-CP of the Government regulating the management of industrial parks and economic zones) on documents and procedures to become eco-industrial parks. However, in reality, it is easier said than done. That is the barrier that has left Dong Nai's eco-industrial park unfinished for more than 3 years, especially the treatment and use of wastewater in watering plants. According to the Vice Chairwoman, only when the pilot eco-industrial park is complete can it be replicated in other industrial parks. However, in the immediate future, to implement the stated criteria, there needs to be a full set of technical guidance procedures for investors to follow.

According to Vice Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Hoang, in order to establish an eco-industrial park, there will be conditions to reduce emissions towards net-zero as well as implement other symbiotic criteria requiring a set of criteria and guidelines from ministries and departments that must be deployed quickly and synchronously with each other. Besides, green business criteria must be specified, creating a clear basis for businesses to approach. ​

Author: Nam Huu

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