Amata looks to VN expansion
Industrial estate developer Amata Corp will conduct a feasibility study regarding the development of the Amata Express City industrial estate in Vietnam's Dong Nai province following formal approval by the country's government later this month.
Somhathai Panicheewa, chairman of Amata (Vietnam) Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Amata Corp, said the study would take one year and cost Bt1 million to Bt2 million. Amata Express City is expected to occupy 2,000 to 3,000 hectares, which is three to five times larger than the firm's first estate at Bien Hoa city in the same province. The new estate will be partly owned by Sonadezi (the state developer of Bien Hoa I and II, Go Dau and Long Thanh industrial parks in Dong Nai), which holds a 30-per-cent stake in Amata's first estate. More partners might be added depending on who else might be interested, Somhathai said. She said the location would be a prime area in the near future as the Vietnamese government plans to construct a new airport five kilometres away and will construct a bridge across the Dong Nai river, which will shorten the distance between the estate and Ho Chi Minh City from 50 kilometres to 20km. The new estate is expected to be finished by 2008, which will be three years before the new airport begins operations. Amata also does not have to invest a large amount of money in the project, as the area has no leasing charge. We just have to invest in infrastructure development, which will be cheaper than in Thailand, said Viboon Kromadit, the developer's senior vice president for marketing.
Nitida Asawanipont The Nation
|
