Vietnam and the United States cooperate on nuclear energy

This morning, Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Dinh Tien and US Ambassador Michael Michalak represented the Governments of the two countries to sign a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in nuclear energy.

Vietnamese and American representatives at the signing ceremony of the memorandum.Photo: Tien Dung.

According to Deputy Minister Le Dinh Tien, this signing represents the cooperative view of the two Governments as the safe and peaceful use of nuclear energy; strengthening cooperation in training civilian nuclear manpower, developing technical infrastructure and standards to ensure safety and security of nuclear energy; access to reliable fuel supplies for Vietnam's light water nuclear reactors .

On the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the re-establishment of relations between the two countries, Ambassador Michalak said this was a critical moment in bilateral relations to further promote the common goals of non-proliferation.

"I anticipate that our signatures on this memorandum will serve as a basis for negotiating a government-level agreement on peaceful use of nuclear energy, allowing the two countries to cooperate nuclear with a wider, deeper level, " said the US ambassador.

Deputy Minister Le Dinh Tien and Ambassador Michalak handed out a memorandum.Photo: Tien Dung .

According to Mr. Michalak, this memorandum will facilitate cooperation between the two countries, including the establishment of a reliable source of nuclear fuel for Vietnam's civil nuclear reactors in the future.

At the end of 2009, the National Assembly approved the policy of investing in nuclear power projects. Accordingly, 2014 began to start Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant with 2 units of capacity of 2000 MW and put into operation in 2020. The time of starting Ninh Thuan 2 Plant has not been determined.

This will be the most advanced, light-proven, proven and modern technology of light water kiln technology, ensuring absolute safety and economic efficiency at the time of investment project preparation. Total investment is estimated at VND 200,000 billion.

Currently, Vietnam has signed a bilateral nuclear cooperation agreement with Russia, China, France, India, South Korea and Argentina.