Hanoi hosts exhibition on nuclear power

An international exhibition on nuclear power opened its doors in Hanoi on May 27 to spotlight the advanced technologies and skills needed to build Vietnam ’s first nuclear power plant in the central province of Ninh Thuan.

The three-day event is being attended by many of the world’s nuclear giants from Japan , Russia , France , the US , China , Canada and Bulgaria . All are there to showcase their financial, technical and executive strengths as well as their experience in putting nuclear power projects into operation across the world.

The exhibition, the fourth of its kind so far in Vietnam , includes the preparations being made for the nation’s first nuclear power plant, the construction of which is scheduled to start in 2014 with the first turbine likely to be commissioned by 2020.

The Ministry of Industry and Trade forecast that the nation’s demand for electricity will increase to 294 billion kWh in 2020 and almost double that to 562 billion kWh in 2030.

Meanwhile the supply of raw materials for the electricity industry is expected to be enough to produce 230 billion kWh by 2020 and 293 billion kWh by 2030.

Nuclear power is therefore a way of making up the short fall and research have been carried out since 1996.

The National Assembly on November 25, 2009 approved the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project, which will have a total capacity of 4,000 MW.

The project will have two plants, each with two turbines.

Tags: nuclear power, Vietnam nuclear power plant