The Hanoi Times - The Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission and the International Atomic Energy Agency o­n May 6 held a seminar o­n the safety of nuclear power and appraise a number of proposed locations for Vietnam’s nuclear power plant.

The Electricity of Vietnam Group chose Phuoc Dinh commune in Ninh Phuoc district and Vinh Hai commune in Ninh Hai district, in the southeastern province of Ninh Thuan to accommodate Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant.

These areas are considered ideal for such a plant as they meet all safety requirements such as having no volcanoes, having sufficient water to cool the plant, little chance of earthquakes, no flooding, being far from major airports and roads, and being sparsely populated and convenient for transporting extremely long and heavy equipment to the plant.

Deputy Minister of Science and Technology Le Dinh Tien said that more research should be conducted with more attention being paid to the balance between the benefits of a nuclear power plant and others such as tourism and maritime transport facilities. He asked the relevant agencies to draw up a list of other possible locations for the building of other nuclear power plants in the future, because the national grid needs more than o­ne nuclear plant.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is currently working o­n the necessary safety criteria before making a final decision o­n the exact site of Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant.