Vietnam insists on completing nuclear power plants by 2031 at latest

By Tri Duc
Mon, February 10, 2025 | 4:52 pm GMT+7

Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade must coordinate with relevant agencies to get nuclear power plants built towards completion by end-2030, or end-2031 at the latest, according to a prime ministerial conclusion.

According to the document, released following a recent meeting of the national steering committee on nuclear power plant construction, the cabinet chief asked the ministry to collaborate with state-owned giants Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and Petrovietnam (PVN) in preparing for building the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 power plants, respectively.

PM Pham Minh Chinh (standing) chairs a meeting of the national steering committee on nuclear power plant construction in Hanoi, February 4, 2025. Photo courtesy of Nhan Dan (The People) newspaper.

PM Pham Minh Chinh (standing) chairs a meeting of the national steering committee on nuclear power plant construction in Hanoi, February 4, 2025. Photo courtesy of Nhan Dan (The People) newspaper.

The 2030 timeline aims to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (1930-2030) and 85 years of Vietnam (1945-2030), the PM emphasized.

The Prime Minister also requested EVN and PVN to work with the ministry and relevant agencies to prepare for cooperation with foreign partners, such as Russia, Japan, the United States, South Korea, and France.

The cooperation can prioritize "traditional" partners but must also take into account all possible situations. The nuclear power projects can feature new details like capacity and investment levels, in line with negotiations with partners.

In 2005, Vietnam's Party Central Committee had greenlighted a plan to build two nuclear power plants in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan. Four years later, the parliament approved the plan with an initial investment of VND200 trillion ($7.9 billion at the current forex rate).

In November 2016, the parliament decided to halt the 4,000 MW project, citing safety, funding and technology reasons. In November 2024, it agreed to resume the nuclear power project in Ninh Thuan after an eight-year suspension.

In its latest draft amendments to the national power development plan VIII (PDP VIII), the Ministry of Industry and Trade said Russia has experiences in developing nuclear power projects in Belarus, Türkiye, Bangladesh, and Egypt in 7-8 years (from construction to commercial operation).

The ministry also pointed out that the earliest possible timeline for operation of nuclear power plants is 2035.

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