MoU on nuclear power co-operation between Vietnam and China signed

Vietnam’s Atomic Energy Institute and China’s Guangdong Nuclear Power Group signed in Hanoi on July 21 a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate in nuclear power.

The signing of the MoU is in line with a cooperative agreement between Vietnam and China on the application of atomic energy for peaceful purposes, which was signed in December 2000.

Under the MoU, the Guangdong Nuclear Power Group will assist Vietnam to transfer the latest scientific and technological advances and also train technicians for the nuclear power industry.

At present, China has one of the fastest-growing nuclear power industries in the world. Over the past few years, dozens of nuclear power stations have been built and put into operation in China, meeting the country’s demand for power for socio-economic development.

In Vietnam, nuclear power is considered one of the best ways of addressing the demand for power. In 2009, the Vietnam National Assembly decided to invest in the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project, with a total output of 4,000 MW. It will include two nuclear reactors, the Ninh Thuan 1 and the Ninh Thuan 2, with two 1,000 MW turbines in each.

On May 4, 2010, the Vietnamese government decided to set up a State Steering Committee on the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project to get the project up and running by 2014 and make the first turbine operational by 2020.