Authorities in north-central Ha Tinh province will shut down the Thach Khe iron mine, the largest of its kind in Southeast Asia, to protect the local environment, according to Chairman of the Ha Tinh Provincial People’s Committee Vo Trong Hai.

It is estimated that 3-4 million sq m of wastewater will be released into the sea each day if the mine is operational, he said during a Q&A session of the 14th meeting of the provincial People’s Council on July 14.

The mine covers over 4,820 hectares across five coastal communes in Thach Ha district. It is estimated to have 544 million tons of iron ore reserves.

The project was exploited from 2008 to 2011 and then ceased operations.

At a recent working session with the Vietnam National Coal and Mineral Industries Group (Vinacomin) regarding new exploitation plans for the project, Secretary of the Ha Tinh Provincial Party Committee Hoang Trung Dung said the project lacked studies on technical and scientific factors as well as assessments of its environmental impact. For this reason it is not necessary to exploit the mine at this point in time.