Construction of Vietnam's second oil refinery begins

Construction of Vietnam’s second oil refinery complex worth US$6 billion began in the north-central province of Thanh Hoa on May 10 by contractors from Vietnam, Japan and Kuwait. The Nghi Son petrochemical and oil refinery complex is being built in the province’s Nghi Son economic zone by the Vietnam Oil and Gas Corporation (PVN), Kuwait Petroleum International, Japan’s Idemitsu Kosan and Japan’s Mitsui Chemical. Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung noted that together with the Dung Quat oil refinery, which is under construction in the central province of Quang Ngai, the complex would meet nearly 60% of the country’s demand for energy. Dung said the project would create an important prerequisite for the petrochemical industry, support industries and other service industries to develop. (May 13, 2008)