Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) has announced that it will arrange US$3.4 billion of foreign credits, commercial loans and the issuance of Vietnam Dong-based bonds to build the 2,000-4,000-megawatt nuclear plant in the southeastern province of Ninh Thuan.
The announcement was released within a pre-feasibility study on Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant conducted by the Ministry of Industry (MoI) and the Energy Institute.
Of the total figure, some one billion dollars are expected to be provided by EVN, US$602 million sourced from domestic commercial loans and US$1.74 billion designated from foreign loans, EVN said.
The plant, which is expected to be built in three phases and completed in 2017 will be operated within the 11-year term for capital yields with an estimated selling price of 4.5 cents per each kWh of electricity.
Vuong Huu Tan, director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute (VAEI) has recently stated at the sixth International Nuclear Power Exhibition 2006 entitled “Safety and Economic Competitiveness” held by VAEI from May 16-19 in Hanoi that the communist-ruled country will step by step raise the contribution of the nuclear power source to its total power output to 11 per cent in 2025, and 25-30 per cent by 2040 and 2050.
Tens of Russian, South Korean, Japanese and French companies have attended the exhibition in an effort to win a deal with Vietnam to build the plant.
In related news, the US and Australia on May 25 proposed measures to support Vietnamese organizations to handle information on hazardous and unauthorized or unidentified radioactive sources and to implement a national action plans if necessary.
Earlier, Le Van Hong, deputy director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission (VAEC) said at the press briefing introducing the Nuclear Power Expo 2006 in Hanoi that the country requires some 400 experts for the Long-Term Program of Utilization of Atomic Energy which are expected to be trained locally and abroad for Peace, including 10-20 leading specialists.
According to VAEI’s public poll, over 80 per cent of Vietnamese people said “YES” to atomic energy development.
Economy & Urban
Vietnamese
