Restarting Vietnam’s nuclear power projects, which have been suspended since 2016 for economic reasons, is one of the options to be considered as the country seeks to ensure energy security after 2035.
The Institute of Energy, on behalf of the Vietnamese Ministry of Industry and Trade, is drafting a master plan for the country’s electricity development between 2021 and 2030, looking toward 2045.
The draft master plan aims to raise the proportion of renewable energy sources, increase energy imports, and connect electrical grids with neighboring countries.
The restart of post-2035 nuclear power projects is also on the table. Their volumes are expected to reach 1,000 megawatts (MWs) by 2040 and 5,000 MWs by 2045.
A member of the drafting team told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the scenario for the development of nuclear power is put forward for consideration since the National Assembly has yet to rule out this source of energy completely.
In 2016, the lawmaking body voted to scrap plans to build two multibillion-dollar nuclear power plants with Russia and Japan, after government officials cited lower demand forecasts, rising costs, and safety concerns.
The decision, it said, was taken for economic reasons.
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Source: Vietnam Insider