US energy firm offers support for Vietnam nuclear power development

The proposal was discussed on Friday at the Vietnam-U.S. Innovation Forum on advanced energy for strategic technology industries, jointly organized by the Vietnam National Innovation Center (NIC) and EXCEL Services at Hoa Lac Hi-Tech Park in Hanoi.

NIC deputy director Vo Xuan Hoai said the event aimed to strengthen cooperation among government agencies, businesses, and international partners in research, technology transfer, and workforce development to support strategic industries.

Hoai said demand for stable and sustainable energy infrastructure was rising as sectors such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and aviation expanded.

NIC is working with EXCEL Services to study the development of highly reliable power generation centers in Hanoi, Da Nang City, and Ho Chi Minh City to support those industries.

Dan Ludwig, vice president of EXCEL Services, said Vietnam needed stable energy supplies to maintain global supply chains linked to information technology and AI services.

He said the company was proposing the use of small modular and micro nuclear reactors integrated with smart microgrids, which could supply localized power while reducing pressure on Vietnam's national transmission system.

Ludwig said EXCEL Services was not seeking to compete with state-owned groups Electricity Vietnam (EVN) or PetroVietnam (PVN), adding that developing local power generation could help ease EVN's financial burden in transmission and distribution investment.

Pham Quang Vinh, former Vietnamese ambassador to the United States and chairman of the Vietnam-U.S. Friendship Association, said Vietnam would need stable and environmentally friendly energy sources to achieve double-digit economic growth.

Vinh believed U.S. partners could provide suitable technologies.

He said cooperation in the energy sector should include technology transfer through workforce training, continued government negotiations on U.S. restrictions related to high technology, the establishment of joint ventures in nuclear power development, and deeper participation by Vietnamese companies in the supply chains of major international partners.