In a meeting with the Director General of Russia’s Rosatom State Atomiс Energy Corporation, Vietnam’s Prime Minister said the country would consider nuclear energy as a means of meeting its net-zero by 2050 commitment, The Investor is reporting.
Nuclear power in Vietnam has been floated before. In 2006, the government announce plans to have a nuclear power plant online by 2020 and this was followed a few years later by official plans for nuclear power plants in southern Vietnam in Ninh Thuan and Khanh Hoa provinces. These were, however, shelved in 2016 in favour of gas and coal on the back of lower demand projections.
Of note, last years electricity shortages have served to highlight the crucial need for Vietnam to increase its power supply. Furthermore, in the context of Vietnam’s recent commitment to reduce its carbon emissions, and the challenges it has faced implementing renewables, nuclear has the potential to gain traction in Vietnam. That said, it is not clear there is much impetus for nuclear power yet.
See also: Electricity in Vietnam: Foreign Investor Cheat Sheet 2024