Southeast Asian country abandoned earlier Moscow-backed plans in 2016
Russia offered to help Vietnam develop nuclear power plants during president Vladimir Putin’s trip to Hanoi, Alexei Likhachev, head of the Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom told the state-owned RIA Novosti news agency in remarks published on Monday (24 June).
Likhachev, who was part of Putin’s entourage during his visit to Vietnam last week, said that he had made the offer to Vietnam prime minister Pham Minh Chinh.
“We offered all possible options for co-operation... in my conversation with the prime minister of Vietnam,” RIA cited Likhachev as saying.
“Rosatom offers foreign partners not only high-power, but also low-power nuclear power plants, both in land-based and floating versions,” Likhachev said.
The comments came as the two countries signed a memorandum relating to the potential construction of a centre for nuclear science and technology in Vietnam and discussions over the options for small modular reactors in the country.
In 2009 Vietnam had planned to build two nuclear power stations with a combined capacity of about 4,000 MW in the south-central province of Ninh Thuan, but the National Assembly rejected the proposal in 2016 on cost grounds.
The government chose Russian state nuclear corporation Rosatom and Japan Atomic Power Company to build the stations, and signed a deal to borrow $8bn (€7.4bn) from Russia for building the first facility. Construction was initially scheduled to begin in 2014.
