IAEA recommends developing Vietnam's nuclear infrastructure

Deputy Director in charge of the Atomic Energy Department (Ministry of Science and Technology) Hoang Anh Tuan affirmed that Vietnam will absorb the best experiences and apply them appropriately to Vietnam's conditions, meeting the world's common requirements, especially in the issue of ensuring nuclear security.

On December 14, at the closing session of the nuclear infrastructure integration assessment workshop organized by the Ministry of Science and Technology in coordination with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), Mr. Tuan also said that IAEA experts and experts from the UK, Bulgaria and Slovakia focused on assessing 19 issues on nuclear power infrastructure development according to IAEA assessment criteria.

Model of nuclear power plant in Phuoc Dinh commune, Ninh Phuoc, Ninh Thuan. (Source: Tienphong.vn)

Each issue has different specific conditions. Experts from Vietnam and the IAEA shared the reality in Vietnam and the experiences of other countries to come up with the most optimal recommendations.

This is the first time IAEA experts have applied the revised Assessment Guidelines and the first in the world to Vietnam - a country that has begun to build nuclear power. The assessment results will be the basis for Vietnam to continue to develop a specific plan for project implementation.

During the 10-day workshop (December 5-14), IAEA experts worked directly with representatives and experts from the Ministry of Science and Technology and related ministries and sectors, focusing on analyzing and discussing each content of 19 nuclear infrastructure development issues according to IAEA assessment criteria.

Experts have made 42 recommendations, 14 suggestions and proposals for each content of nuclear power infrastructure development and 7 major issues that Vietnam needs to pay attention to such as legal basis, regulatory system, human resource development, financial and budget management...

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Nghiem Vu Khai highly appreciated the cooperation and support of the IAEA as well as other countries for Vietnam's nuclear power program; requested the IAEA and international experts to continue studying Vietnam's feedback on the draft report of the working group on the integrated assessment of nuclear infrastructure, and coordinate with Vietnamese representatives to complete this report.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will send this final report to relevant ministries, branches, agencies and report to the State Steering Committee of the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Project to have a specific plan in the next phase to ensure the requirements of safety, security and quality of the project.

Assessing the results of the delegation's work in Vietnam, Mr. Park Jong Kyun, Director of the IAEA Nuclear Power Division, Head of the IAEA Mission in Vietnam, shared: "The delegation's work this time received very close cooperation from Vietnam and completed the work on time.

The delegation will edit and complete the Draft Assessment Report and send it back to Vietnam in mid-January 2013.

The final report will be published by the end of March 2013./.

According to (TTXVN) - VT