Formosa Ha Tinh gets clean chit, ministry proposes end to continuous monitoring

The Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment has proposed that the continuous monitoring of waste treatment by Taiwanese-invested Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation be stopped.

The special mechanism was put in place in 2016 after the steelmaker triggered a massive environmental disaster by discharging untreated effluents directly in the sea.

In a recent document submitted to the government, Deputy Environment Minister Vo Tuan Nhan has proposed that the special mechanism is removed and replaced with one that is accordance with the country's environmental protection law.

The ministry is of the opinion that Formosa has overcome the maritime environmental pollution problems that it caused in the four central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien-Hue after five years of applying numerous solutions to mitigate consequences.

Since 2016, the ministry has actively coordinated with other ministries, the Ha Tinh People's Committee, the Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology, domestic and foreign agencies, experts, and scientists to monitor Formosa in remedying the consequences of the disaster.

Four wastewater monitoring stations and 24 automatic emission monitoring stations have been installed, sending data directly to the authorities for monitoring. The inter-sectoral monitoring body has also organized periodic and random inspections.

Assessments show that the quality of wastewater discharged into the sea from the Formosa complex from July 2016 to date meets set standards, the ministry wrote.

From January 2017 to April 2022, the steelmaker had delivered to relevant treatment units a total 3,140 tons of domestic waste, 17,600 tons of ordinary industrial solid waste, 7,600 tons of industrial sludge and 43,200 tons of hazardous waste.

According to the group's report, the project's environmental protection-related investments have totaled almost $1.4 billion, or 10.9% of its overall investment capital.

In particular, an additional investment component worth over $350 million has been dedicated to enhancing and supplementing environmental protection works after the disaster.

The supervisory board has determined that the company has fully complied with its environmental protection obligations and redressed all previous violations.

The ministry has reviewed and approved official operation of Formosa's environmental protection work in compliance with the national law on environmental protection.

Last year, Formosa's production of liquid iron reached 6.43 million tons and the sale of completed steel hit 6.29 million tons, generating $5.3 billion in revenue and $350 million in tax payments.

In April 2016, Formosa Ha Tinh Steel Corporation was responsible for mass deaths of marine creatures along the coast of the central provinces of Ha Tinh, Quang Binh, Quang Tri and Thua Thien-Hue. An estimated 70 tonnes of dead fish washed ashore along more than 200 km (125 miles) of Vietnam’s central coastline, hurting the livelihoods of millions dependent on the fisheries and tourism industries.

Four months later, the corporation paid out more than VND11.5 trillion (about $500 million) in compensation, which was used to help local fishermen find new employment and clean up the contaminated marine environment. The company also promised address all problems and limitations in its wastewater and waste treatment.

Including Son Duong Port and an integrated steel mill, Formosa is currently the largest-scale foreign-invested project in Vietnam.