Vietnam to build nuclear research center

Needed to prepare for reactor construction.

The Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute recently said plans are underway to build a nuclear technology center in Da Lat as early as 2015. The center will cost US$500 million and will be financed by loans from Russia.

Vietnam selected Russia's Rosatom to build its first nuclear power plant, which is scheduled to begin construction late 2014. Vietnam has reached agreements to build 2,000 megawatts of generation capacity using Russian reactors at Phuoc Dinh and another 2,000 MW using Japanese technology at Vinh Hai.

Long-term plans have called for as much as 6,700 MW of nuclear generation to be installed by 2030.

Russia will fund a research center to help train Vietnam’s nuclear industry workers. The workforce will operate Vietnam’s nuclear power plants.