Vietnam has abandoned plans to build new nuclear power plants – RIA Novosti

10:5710.11.2016

(updated: 20:32 10.11.2016)

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MOSCOW, 10 Nov — RIA Novosti. the Government of Vietnam decided to abandon the construction of nuclear power units as other energy sources become less expensive, and the demand for energy in the country has decreased due to the decline in economic growth, reported the Wall Street Journal, citing local media. In turn, the Russian Embassy in Vietnam said that the question of refusal from the construction of nuclear power plants is not, and perhaps will put the question on postponement.

According to the WSJ, the government this week will give a plan for the future of the NPP, the National Assembly, the legislative body of the country which will ratify the document in November.

according to the newspaper, the national Assembly of Vietnam in 2009 ratified the plan to build two nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan province. The government chose the Russian company Rosatom and Japan Atomic Power to implement projects.

“Nuclear energy now less competitive than other energy sources, and is not an urgent need”, — quotes the edition of the Chairman of the state power company Vietnam Electricity Doonga Quang Thanh (Phuong Quang Thanh).

the Publication also cites the state of the economy of Viet Nam for 2011-2015. According to these data, the average economic growth in the country was of the order of 5.84%, while the government focused on higher rates of 6.5% and 7%. Last month, the government lowered the growth target for the current year from 6.7% to 6.3-6.5 per cent.

member of the National Assembly of Vietnam also said that the country’s public debt approaching 65% of GDP, is another reason for the cancellation of the project.

the Parliament of Vietnam have yet to vote on the question of the construction of the country’s nuclear power plants, according to the Russian side, the question of abandonment of projects is not reported in the Russian Embassy in Hanoi.

“Officially, the Vietnam Embassy, no paper sent. According to forecasts, the vote on this issue in Parliament on 21 November,” — said RIA Novosti on the phone the press attache of the Embassy Yevgeny Belov.

According to him, all issues relating to nuclear power plants, pass through the national Assembly of Vietnam. “According to official information, the question of waiver of the construction before the Parliament is not necessary. Perhaps this vote will put the question on the postponement,” said Belov.

Under a Russian-Vietnamese agreement, the construction of NPP “Ninh Thuan 1″ consisting of two blocks was originally supposed to be completed by 2020. In June 2016 at the forum “ATOMEXPO-2016″ in Moscow the Deputy head of Rosatom Kirill Komarov said that now as the date for commissioning the first power unit is viewed 2027 or 2028. Vietnamese media previously reported that significant shifts of the stated deadlines dictated by the peculiarities of the Vietnamese legislative procedures.

the Project of NPP “Ninh Thuan 1″ includes two power units with Russian VVER reactors with a capacity of up to 1.2 GW each. Construction of Vietnam, as planned, will receive the Russian state loan in the amount of $ 8 billion. Russia and Vietnam signed an agreement on construction of the nuclear power plant in October 2010. In 2015, signed a General framework agreement on the implementation of the first phase of the construction project.

the Nuclear power plant “Ninh Thuan-2″ is planned consisting of four reactors of 1000 MW each. It was assumed that the station will be built by a consortium of international nuclear energy development of Japan JINED, and the plant will be owned and managed by the Vietnam Electricity company.