Hanoi (VNA) – Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh on October 22 called for accelerating the development of nuclear power projects, stressing that all negotiations must be conducted on the basis of harmonised interests and shared risks between Vietnam and its international partners.
Concluding the third meeting of the Steering Committee for the Nuclear Power Plant Construction, PM Chinh who is also head of the committee, urged ministries, agencies and localities to speed up work on the Ninh Thuan nuclear power projects.
The Ninh Thuan nuclear power projects were approved in-principle by the 12th National Assembly in 2009 but later suspended under a 2016 resolution. Amid the demands of a new development stage, the Party Central Committee and the National Assembly (NA) agreed in late 2024 to restart the projects in Ninh Thuan province (now part of Khanh Hoa province). The PM subsequently set up and consolidated the Steering Committee to direct implementation.
At the meeting, PM Chinh commended ministries, sectors and committee members for actively performing their assigned tasks, with nine of 18 items already completed and seven underway. However, he pointed out slow progress in negotiations with foreign partners, site clearance and finalising legal frameworks, urging agencies to address bottlenecks and report any issues beyond their authority.
He asked relevant ministries and localities to effectively carry out Government Resolution 328/NQ-CP regarding the implementation of Politburo Resolution 70-NQ/TW on ensuring national energy security through 2030, with a vision to 2045. The PM also tasked them with compiling pending legal issues into a draft resolution to submit to the NA for consideration, ensuring a complete legal foundation for the projects.
Khanh Hoa province was instructed to develop resettlement projects, while the Ministry of Finance was assigned to consider allocating an additional 9 trillion VND (341.59 million USD) for site clearance at the request of the province. Particularly, PM Chinh directed ministries and agencies to step up negotiations with Russia on the construction of Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant. The agreement, he noted, should comply with standards of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage, and match Vietnam’s conditions.
Regarding loan negotiations and tax- and fee-related policies, the leader assigned the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Industry and Trade to develop appropriate proposals for submission to the National Assembly.
Vietnam Electricity (EVN) was asked to quickly prepare a pre-feasibility study and technical design for Ninh Thuan 1, while the Vietnam National Industry - Energy Group (Petrovietnam) was assigned to develop the Ninh Thuan 2 project.
The Ministry of Education and Training was requested to work with EVN and Petrovietnam to identify human resource needs, establish training programmes, and attract qualified domestic and foreign experts.
PM Chinh underscored that negotiations with Russia and related legal frameworks must be completed within November 2025. Vietnam also aims to basically conclude negotiations with Japan for Ninh Thuan 2./.
VNA
