The Ministry of Industry and Trade was assigned to study world experience to propose nuclear power.

Engineers operate the electrical system inside a power plant in the South - Photo: NGOC HIEN

The Government Office has just announced the conclusion of the Government Standing Committee at a meeting on removing difficulties for offshore gas and wind power projects.

Developing nuclear power to supplement base electricity

According to assessments and forecasts of world economic research organizations, in case the FED reduces interest rates, Vietnam's economy will have a growth rate of over 7% in the coming period.

Therefore, the Government Standing Committee requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to urgently review all power sources in the Plan to implement the VIII Power Master Plan in the direction of shifting base power from coal power to gas power, prioritizing domestic production to achieve electricity growth of 12-15%/year, ensuring national energy security.

Notably, the Government Standing Committee has requested the Ministry of Industry and Trade to study the experience of nuclear power development in countries around the world to propose developing nuclear power in Vietnam in the coming time.

From there, we can supplement the background electricity, minimizing the environmental risks. Then the unit will report to the Politburo for consideration and decision.

The issue of nuclear power development is not mentioned in the VIII power plan. However, in the document sent to ministries and branches requesting comments on the draft report to the Prime Minister on the assessment of the implementation of the VIII power plan, the Ministry of Industry and Trade proposed the development of small-scale nuclear power plants.

Why build small nuclear power plants?

According to the Ministry of Industry and Trade, there are currently 32 countries in the world using nuclear energy to generate electricity, generating about 9.1% of the world's electricity by 2023.

According to the VIII power plan, Vietnam has not planned to develop nuclear power sources. However, with the benefits and favorable conditions of small modular reactor nuclear energy, plus the fact that many countries in the world are developing nuclear energy in national power sources, the Ministry of Industry and Trade believes that Vietnam's research on solutions to develop small modular reactor nuclear energy, including floating nuclear power plants in the future, can be considered.

According to the ministry, small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors with a capacity of up to 300 MW per unit, about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors.

SMRs can produce large amounts of low-carbon electricity, can be combined with and increase the efficiency of renewable energy sources in the system, and play an important role in the clean energy transition, while helping countries address sustainable development goals.

SMRs are expected to have a relatively short construction time (about 24-36 months), and they can be deployed in stages to match growing energy needs.

Nuclear power is mainly developed in countries in Europe, North America and East Asia. The United States is the largest producer of nuclear power, while France has the largest share of electricity generated from nuclear power.

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/bo-cong-thuong-duoc-giao-nghien-cuu-kinh-nghiem-the-gioi-de-de-xuat-lam-dien-hat-nhan-20240914143005061.htm