Research and analysis

Vietnam- Civil Nuclear- Building On Sound Foundation

Published 22 December 2014

1. Summary

Two Prosperity-funded workshops further strengthen civil nuclear co-operation with Vietnam – one of our high-value opportunities. We will build on this in 2015 and need to take a long-term perspective.

2. Detail

2.1 The scale of ambition

Vietnam has an ambitious programme for civil nuclear development, with plans for seven nuclear power plants, each with 4 to 6 units. The aspiration is that nuclear energy will provide between a fifth and a quarter of Vietnam’s growing energy needs by 2050. The first nuclear plant – built with Russian finance and technology - is scheduled to open in Ninh Thuan in 2023, with a second Japanese-funded plant scheduled for 2024 (though these dates have already slipped and may yet do so further). The feasibility studies for both are currently under evaluation.

2.2 UK engagement

Given the scale of Vietnam’s plans, the importance of government-to-government engagement in this sphere, and the potential for UK companies, civil nuclear was designated as a High Value Opportunity by UKTI last year. Since then, UKTI and the Embassy Prosperity team have been working together to promote the UK as a partner for civil nuclear development.

We used Prosperity programme funds to run two parallel workshops on 2-3 December in Hanoi. Delegates from the Office of the Nuclear Regulation, the National Nuclear Laboratory, Lloyd’s Register and Urenco shared their expertise in regulatory framework, construction and fuel cycle management with around 60 local participants, including regulators, utilities, researchers and government officials.

These workshops build on a busy programme of events this year. Since signing an MoU in November 2013, we have organised various other workshops, a study visit to the UK and a three-month capacity-building secondment from the Office of the Nuclear Regulation to VARANS (the Vietnamese nuclear regulator) which, at the request of the Vietnamese, we are currently looking to extend.

2.3 Looking ahead

We have ambitious plans for 2015. We are bringing a Vietnamese delegation to the Civil Nuclear Energy Showcase in London in January, which will connect UK companies with local nuclear stakeholders and enable them to better understand Vietnam’s plans. We will use the visit of Lady Barbara Judge (Chairman Emeritus of the UK Atomic Energy Authority) to Hanoi, also in January, to engage key industry players. These events will keep up the momentum in educating Vietnam about the UK offer and encouraging closer cooperation.

But we need to view this as a long term endeavour. Although there are some short term opportunities, significant business wins may be some way off; international competition is intense – as the companies we work with well recognise.

3. Disclaimer

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