On the morning of February 14, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, authorized by the Prime Minister, submitted to the National Assembly a report on special mechanisms and policies for investment in the construction of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.
The two Ninh Thuan nuclear power plants are expected to be put into operation in 2030. To achieve this goal, the Government believes that there should be specific mechanisms and policies for this project, in the immediate future to implement the stages of investment preparation and project implementation in parallel.
Proposal to apply "turnkey" package designation
Accordingly, the Government proposed that the National Assembly allow simultaneous implementation of negotiations with partners to sign the Intergovernmental Agreement, the cooperation agreement to build a nuclear power plant and the Intergovernmental Agreement on State export credit to finance the construction of this plant. This process is carried out in parallel with the approval of adjustments to investment policies and investment projects.
Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien, authorized by the Prime Minister, submitted to the National Assembly a report on special mechanisms and policies for investment in the construction of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project (Photo: Hong Phong).
The Government proposed allowing the Prime Minister to assign the investor to implement the project and apply the "turnkey" contract form, selecting the contractor immediately after the National Assembly approves the adjustment of the project investment policy (expected at the May session).
According to the Government's proposal, the application of the "turnkey" bidding package for the construction of the main factory is subject to a simplified procedure. This form can be applied to consulting bidding packages in the investment preparation and project implementation stages...
Direct negotiation and shortened bidding are also applied to partners supplying nuclear fuel to the plant and contractors maintaining and operating the plant within 5 years from the date the project is put into use.
Regarding financial and capital plans, the Government proposes to negotiate with the Government of implementing partners to arrange capital for the project according to the needs and commitments of foreign sponsors.
Investors are allowed to borrow and re-borrow under preferential conditions. Increased revenue, savings from the central budget and other legal capital can be used for the project in case the loan agreement negotiation is unsuccessful, or the loan is small in scale. Procedures for preparing proposals for programs and projects using preferential loans can be exempted.
Investors can use loans and bonds (Government, Government guarantees, construction bonds...) as counterpart capital for the project.
The Government also proposed to allow capital mobilization from re-lending sources, export credit with Government guarantees or issuance of corporate and Government bonds... Re-lending agencies, financial and credit institutions are exempted from appraisal procedures when lending, re-lending ODA capital, foreign incentives and issuing bonds.
National Assembly deputies attend the 9th extraordinary session of the National Assembly on the morning of February 14 (Photo: Hong Phong).
For Ninh Thuan province, the Government proposed that the central budget annually supplement the province with a target of 70% of the increased revenue from the implementation of the nuclear power project. The province is also allowed to borrow ODA capital and foreign preferential loans with a total outstanding debt of up to 90% of the local budget revenue according to decentralization.
Localities can apply for the appointment of consultants and contractors for the construction of compensation and resettlement projects for nuclear power plants. In addition, the province can apply some special mechanisms in licensing the exploitation of minerals for construction materials to supply for nuclear power projects.
Evaluate carefully to minimize risks
Presenting the review report, Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy said that the review agency agreed that there should be some specific mechanisms and policies to speed up the construction of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant.
However, this agency suggested that the Government carefully review, consult with competent authorities and relevant agencies on the proposed mechanisms, to ensure consistency, feasibility and "put national interests first".
According to the appraisal agency, the Government needs to direct the review and thorough assessment of potential risks in order to take measures to prevent and minimize risks, ensuring safety and effectiveness for the project.
Regarding the mechanism of applying the "turnkey" bidding package, according to the appraisal agency, it is reasonable to speed up the implementation progress of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.
However, this form can lead to limited competition, the risk of vested interests and lack of transparency in the implementation process.
Chairman of the Committee for Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy (Photo: Hong Phong).
Therefore, to minimize risks, the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment recommends carefully studying and evaluating the effectiveness of this form of contract.
The committee proposed to add strict monitoring procedures such as: Publicizing the list of contractors and selection criteria to increase transparency; establishing an independent monitoring board to inspect the bidding process; applying strict sanctions if negative signs are detected during the contract designation and implementation process; investors are responsible for transparency and validity before approving and reporting the reasons for bidding designation.
The appraisal agency proposed to have clear regulations on the conditions of application, criteria for selecting contractors, and to add a mechanism to strictly control contract terms, especially commitments on technology, maintenance and technology transfer after project completion.
The Ninh Thuan nuclear power project consists of two plants, each with two units. Ninh Thuan 1 plant is located in Phuoc Dinh commune, Thuan Nam district. Ninh Thuan 2 plant is located in Vinh Hai commune, Ninh Hai district.
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh previously assigned Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) as the investor of Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project and the National Energy Industry Group (Petrovietnam) as the investor of Ninh Thuan 2 Nuclear Power Plant project.
Regarding progress, the Prime Minister requested to shorten the project completion time compared to the previous plan, to complete by December 31, 2031 at the latest and strive to complete before December 31, 2030.
Dantri.com.vn
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