Vietnam and Russia are accelerating the progress of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.

On the afternoon of July 17th, a delegation from the Energy Committee of the State Duma of the Russian Federation, led by Mr. Sergei Georgeevic Levchenko, Deputy Chairman of the Energy Committee of the Duma, First Secretary of the Irkuck Province and Chairman of the parliamentary friendship group with Vietnam, held a working meeting with the leaders of Ninh Thuan province to discuss measures to accelerate the progress of the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant construction project.

Mr. Levchenko stated that the construction progress of the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant, undertaken by Rosatom Corporation, is too slow, and the objective reasons stem from both countries.

According to the agreement between the two countries, funds for the construction of the plant will be disbursed in 2014, with the financial arrangements already planned by the Russian side.

However, the current technical design has not been finalized, making it difficult to proceed with the next stages. Furthermore, the agency responsible for managing the project and constructing the auxiliary facilities for the plant is unknown, hindering the disbursement of funds. Consequently, Vietnam has not yet prepared the necessary storage facilities for receiving construction materials, nor has it selected suitable locations for accommodation and meals for the experts and workers.

Ninh Thuan Provincial Party Secretary Nguyen Chi Dung stated that the province has completed the compensation and land clearance process, as well as investment preparation, and the level of consensus among the people in the project area is very high. He added that if the project is delayed, the people in the project area will certainly be worried and hesitant, which would be detrimental to the project in the future.

Mr. Dung emphasized the need to expedite construction; and stated that, in the short term, a resettlement plan must be found to ensure the people can live peacefully in their new homes. The Russian consulting firms need to focus on clearly defining the location and boundaries of the construction site so that Ninh Thuan province can plan the relocation and select a suitable site for the resettlement area.

In response, Mr. Levchenko stated that the Russian Parliament had urged the design consulting units to focus on accelerating progress to ensure timely disbursement of funds and commencement of construction. The construction of a nuclear power plant requires a large number of experts and a skilled workforce. Currently, a university in the Voronezh region – where the operational nuclear power plant is located – is ready to sign a cooperation agreement with Ninh Thuan province to train human resources for the plant.

Also at the meeting, the Secretary of the Ninh Thuan Provincial Party Committee expressed his wish for Russia to introduce more Russian investors to Ninh Thuan to seek investment opportunities, especially in some sectors where Ninh Thuan has great potential, and to create conditions for Ninh Thuan to bring goods produced in the province to penetrate the Russian market.

According to (VNA) - LT