Doosan Heavy Industries Vietnam (Doosan Vina) has become the first company in Southeast Asia to be certified as a supplier of nuclear power products by the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME).

The company was awarded ASEME nuclear certification for its six products following a year-long survey on its performance conducted by a group of seven experts from the US, the Republic of Korea and Japan.

Doosan Vina, located at the Dung Quat economic zone in the central province of Quang Ngai, also won four ASME non-nuclear certificates in 2008.

According to the company’s general director Ryu Hang Ha, the recognition reflects that Vietnamese workers have the necessary skills and knowledge to fulfill the requirements of the shaping nuclear power industry in the country.

ASME is a non-profit organisation which establishes the standards and technical specifications for thermal and nuclear power plants.

Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant, Ninh Thuan 1, will be designed by Russian groups and put into operation between 2023 and 2024 in a bid to ensure national energy security in subsequent years.

Located in the central coastal province of Ninh Thuan’s district of Thuan Nam, the nuclear plant will have a total capacity of 2,000 MW from two turbines.-VNA