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A corner of Thái An Village, Vĩnh Hải Commune, Ninh Hải District in Ninh Thuận Province, located in the planned area for Ninh Thuận Nuclear Power Plant 2 Project. VNA/VNS Photo Nguyễn Thành

HÀ NỘI — The Ministry of Industry and Trade has assessed the potential for developing nuclear power plants in Việt Nam, highlighting five localities suitable for large-scale nuclear power projects.

These provinces are located in the south central, central and north central regions.

In the draft revision of the National Power Development Plan for 2021-2030, with a vision to 2050, which is currently open for public feedback, the ministry has identified eight potential locations across the five localities.

In Ninh Thuận Province, the proposed locations are Vĩnh Trường Hamlet (Phước Dinh Commune, Thuận Nam District), Thái An Hamlet (Vĩnh Hải Commune, Ninh Hải District) and Bãi Chà Là (Bình Tiên Hamlet, Công Hải Commune, Thuận Bắc District).

In Quảng Ngãi Province, the proposed locations are Gia Hòa Hamlet (Đức Thắng Commune) and Văn Bân Hamlet (Đức Chánh Commune).

Other locations are Lộ Diêu Hamlet (Hoài Mỹ Commune, Hoài Nhơn District, Bình Định Province), Phú Hải Hamlet (Xuân Phương Commune, Sông Cầu District, Phú Yên Province), and Sơn Tịnh Hamlet (Kỳ Xuân Commune, Kỳ Anh District, Hà Tĩnh Province).

Each of these sites has the potential to develop approximately 4-6 GW of nuclear power capacity.

According to the ministry, nuclear power plants could be considered in three key regions, including south-central region with potential capacity of 25-30 GW, in the central region with around 10 GW and the north-central region with approximately 4-5 GW.

Currently, only Phước Dinh and Vĩnh Hải have publicly announced site planning for nuclear power plants. Other potential sites are being considered for the development of four large-scale nuclear reactors.

However, since no formal planning has been announced, these sites will require reassessment due to possible socio-economic changes in the areas.

Regarding the construction of small modular reactors (SMRs), the ministry emphasised that site selection is a crucial step in integrating SMRs into the regional energy system. This process significantly impacts construction costs, environmental health, safety and other operational aspects.

Additionally, numerous SMR designs are currently under development at various stages worldwide.

Việt Nam currently has no legal regulations regarding site requirements for SMRs. In the absence of specific guidelines for SMR site selection, the process must comply with the existing regulations for large-scale nuclear power plants.

On November 25, 2024, the 13th Party Central Committee agreed to restart the Ninh Thuận Nuclear Power Project and continue researching the nuclear power programme in Việt Nam.

The Ninh Thuận 1 and 2 nuclear power projects had previously completed feasibility studies by design consultants, but they had not been approved. As a result, a proposal has been drafted to include these projects in the Government’s nuclear power development policy scenario.

Both large-scale nuclear power and SMRs must look at critical safety concerns, regional geological conditions and nuclear waste disposal requirements. Therefore, the plan only considers approved potential sites as outlined in Decision No 906 by the Prime Minister on nuclear power development planning.

During the second session of the Steering Committee for Nuclear Power Plant Construction, Prime Minister Phạm Minh Chính assigned Việt Nam Electricity (EVN) as the investor for Ninh Thuận 1 Nuclear Power Plant and Việt Nam National Energy Corporation (PVN) as the investor for Ninh Thuận 2 Nuclear Power Plant.

The Prime Minister also set a target deadline to complete the Ninh Thuận nuclear power project by December 31, 2030. — VNS