Vietnam's Politburo pushes for rapid development of Ninh Thuan nuclear power projects

The directive was issued under Resolution 70-NQ/TW, recently signed by Party General Secretary To Lam on behalf of the Politburo, to ensure national energy security through 2030 with a vision toward 2045.

The resolution emphasized that the projects must proceed in line with Vietnam’s best interests while considering previous agreements with relevant stakeholders.

It also underlined that the two plants should be developed with suitable partners and completed and operational between 2030 and 2035.

The projects were originally approved by Vietnam’s legislative National Assembly (NA) in 2009 but were suspended in 2016 due to safety concerns, high costs, technological challenges, and shifting global energy trends.

On November 30, 2024, the NA passed a resolution to restart them after the eight-year pause, aiming to strengthen national energy security and support Vietnam’s goal of achieving net-zero emissions by 2050.

Following the resumption, Vietnam Electricity (EVN) and PetroVietnam (PVN) have been designated as the respective investors of Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2, originally planned in the former Ninh Thuan Province, which is now part of Khanh Hoa in the south-central region.

The government has drafted a special investment mechanism for the projects and tasked the Ministry of Industry and Trade with negotiating and signing international treaties with partners on cooperation and investment, according to PVN.

These talks are scheduled to conclude this month for Ninh Thuan 1 and in December for Ninh Thuan 2.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Finance has been assigned to lead negotiations on credit supply agreements with international partners, with completion targeted for September 2025 for Ninh Thuan 1 and March 2026 for Ninh Thuan 2.

Beyond the two planned nuclear power plants, the Politburo has directed the development of a broader nuclear power program with flexible scales, including small modular reactors.

Resolution 70 highlighted the need to invest in atomic energy research and technology development, gradually mastering reactor and advanced nuclear technologies tailored to Vietnam’s conditions while ensuring absolute safety and socio-economic efficiency.

It also encouraged participation from both state-owned and private enterprises in small modular reactor projects.

The Politburo further tasked relevant agencies with developing a comprehensive plan to strengthen the energy sector workforce, aiming to train 25,000-35,000 engineers and experts, with a particular focus on nuclear energy.