Yesterday (February 17), in Hanoi, during a press conference introducing the “Strategy for the Peaceful Application of Nuclear Energy by 2020” (issued in January 2006), Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Tran Quoc Thang announced that Vietnam will have its first nuclear power plant by 2020.
According to the Deputy Minister, in order to apply and develop nuclear energy to serve the industrialization and modernization of the country, Vietnam will facilitate the promotion of nuclear energy applications and prepare the necessary conditions to build the first nuclear power plant in Vietnam with a capacity of approximately 2,000 MW. The goal is to safely operate and effectively utilize the nuclear power plant by 2020.
The Ministry of Science and Technology is currently actively preparing to build a team of nuclear power experts, technicians, and skilled workers trained to meet the demands of the nuclear power plant construction project.
Domestic industries must quickly build their capabilities in design, manufacturing equipment, and producing materials to enhance their participation in the implementation of subsequent nuclear power plant construction projects.
The strategy also sets the goal that by 2020 all needs for radioactive pharmaceutical materials will be fully met; all provinces with nuclear medicine and radiation therapy facilities will have a variety of nuclear measurement equipment, X-ray devices, laser equipment, and accelerators branded in Vietnam; and several technologies and products of radiation engineering will be widely and effectively applied in socio-economic sectors.
To implement the Strategy for the Peaceful Application of Nuclear Energy by 2020, in addition to eight groups of solutions, in April 2006, the Ministry of Science and Technology will submit an implementation plan for government approval and begin executing the strategy in May 2006.
