National Assembly's review agency: More solutions needed for Ninh Thuan nuclear power plant to operate by 2030

On the morning of February 14th, acting on behalf of the Prime Minister, Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien presented to the Government a draft resolution on specific mechanisms and policies for the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project.

Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Hong Dien - Photo: Quochoi.vn

According to the Minister of Industry and Trade, this is a particularly important project with complex technology, possessed by only a few countries. Meanwhile, the investment capital requirement is very large, and this is the first time such a project has been undertaken in our country. Therefore, strong and specific mechanisms and policies are urgently needed to accelerate progress and shorten the implementation time.

Proposal to carry out procedures in parallel, awarding contracts through direct negotiation.

The government's goal is to bring the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project into operation in 2030-2031, ensuring national energy security and meeting the electricity needs for the country's socio -economic development.

Based on that, the Government has proposed a series of specific policy mechanisms for the project. First, it allows for the simultaneous implementation of negotiations on agreements and arrangements with partners alongside the process of preparing documents and approving adjustments to the investment policy and approving the investment project.

The selection of investors and contractors is expected to employ turnkey contracts and direct contracting for the turnkey main plant construction package with the contractor specified in the intergovernmental agreement or treaty; and for key consulting packages...

The government also proposed that these tasks, including project preparation, agreement negotiations, and turnkey contract agreements, be carried out concurrently before project approval.

Regarding the financing and capital arrangement mechanism, it will involve negotiating government loans with partners; allowing the investor to borrow again without credit risk; and utilizing increased revenue, budget savings, and other legitimate sources of capital.

In addition, the investor can use loan capital from government/corporate/project bonds and other mechanisms to have sufficient counterpart funds to implement the project; and allocate state budget funds to implement the resettlement project.

In addition, there are mechanisms for applying technical regulations, standards, and norms; and unit prices. Investors are exempt from reporting their capital mobilization plans to the authorities.

Ninh Thuan province has mechanisms in place for compensation, resettlement, infrastructure development, material supply, and social security assurance.

Furthermore, there are mechanisms regarding the procedures for approving policies on changing the purpose of forest land use, handling overlapping areas of national mineral reserves; handling overlapping planning; mechanisms for conducting consultations on environmental impact assessment reports, and other mechanisms.

Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment Le Quang Huy - Photo: Quochoi.vn

Strictly control capital mobilization to ensure efficient use.

During the review, the Chairman of the Committee on Science, Technology and Environment, Le Quang Huy, agreed with the necessity of issuing specific policy mechanisms to accelerate the project's construction progress. However, regarding the proposal to put the project into operation in 2030, the committee stated that "thorough research and additional solutions" are needed to ensure the operational goal is achieved.

The proposal to select contractors through direct contracting or turnkey projects was deemed reasonable. However, the reviewing agency argued that this method could lead to restricted competition, the risk of vested interests, and a lack of transparency in the implementation process.

Therefore, it is suggested that clear regulations be established regarding the application conditions, contractor selection criteria, and the addition of mechanisms for strict control over contract terms, especially commitments on technology, maintenance, and technology transfer after project completion.

This project was approved by the Prime Minister and assigned to Vietnam Electricity Group (EVN) and Vietnam National Energy Industry Group (PVN). However, the reviewing agency suggested further research and consideration regarding specific regulations, especially the financial plan and capital arrangement.

Furthermore, with a mechanism to ensure the level of counterpart funding, the Government needs to clarify and affirm that the reassessment of this funding source will be solely for the nuclear power project. In addition, there needs to be strict regulations on loan limits, interest rates, repayment terms, binding conditions, and solutions for controlling capital...

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/co-quan-tham-tra-cua-quoc-hoi-can-them-giai-phap-de-dien-hat-nhan-ninh-thuan-van-hanh-vao-nam-2030-20250214085204542.htm