Central province returns lands as nuclear power plants aborted

The announcement it made Thursday to this effect said the Ninh Thuan 1 and 2 plants, proposed to be built in Thuan Nam and Ninh Hai districts, have been called off.

Phan Tan Canh, deputy chairman of the central province, said from Friday people would fully get back their land-use rights. Technically, in Vietnam, people have the right to use land but do not get "ownership."

The National Assembly canceled the nuclear project in 2016.

The two plants, approved in 2009, were to have had a combined capacity of 4,000 MW and required 440 ha and 380 ha to build.

However, after many delays, the NA decided not to proceed with them.

The indecisiveness of authorities affected the lives of 1,050 families for years.

Nguyen Thanh Du of Vinh Truong village in Thuan Nam District, told VnExpress last year that locals had agreed to the project and handed over their lands thinking it would benefit the country’s economy, but their patience gradually ran out.

For over a decade they had not received any support from the government.

The state of limbo meant many lands lay abandoned for years; people could not invest in them or grow crops.

Several poor families had to borrow money from banks to cover their daily expenses and are now unable to repay.