The catastrophe in Japan doesn’t affect the nuclear power projects in Ninh Thuan but it gives Vietnam cooking for thought on how to manage and select nuclear technologies, say experts.

At a press conference of the Ministry of Science and Technology on March 17, Vuong Huu Tan, Director of the Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute, said: “Vietnam is preparing for the construction of its first nuclear power station so we need to closely keep track of the situation in Japan to make the right decisions for developing nuclear power in Vietnam.”

Tan said that the most important lesson from Japan is their methodological organization in rescue and evacuation after earthquakes and tsunamis. However, when an explosion happened at reactor 4, Japan didn’t focus solely on it but also focused on the three reactors that previously saw blasts.

“Vietnam must devise strategies to guard against fallout from nuclear incidents,” Tan said.

He said that Japan’s reactors were built in the 1970s, which don’t operate under automatic safety rules, meaning that they need human intervention. Vietnam has decided to use new generation reactors based on automatic safety principles.

Dr. Nguyen Thanh Luong, Vice Head of the Nuclear Radioactive Safety Agency, said that another valuable lesson from the incident in Japan has been the close combination among agencies in coping with dangerous situations.

“Vietnam needs to build an urgent reaction system, including national and provincial centers, for coping with incidents,” Luong said.

The chief of the Nuclear Radioactive Safety Agency, Dr. Ngo Dang Nhan, said that Vietnam is not in an area as prone to earthquakes as Japan, but that it needs to add quakes to the list of threats for nuclear power plants to ensure safety.

Vietnam also needs to train experts and compile a strict system of legal documentation on nuclear safety, Nhan said.

Tan said that Japan has offered nuclear technology of the third generation. The two sides are now in negotiation.

The Ministry of Science and Technology is compiling a circular on the operation of nuclear power plants. The circular includes specific standards on construction, management, and design of nuclear power plants.

The first two nuclear power plants in Vietnam will be built in Ninh Thuan province, totaling 4,000 MW. The construction of the first plant is scheduled in 2014 and will begin operating in 2020. The National Assembly has approved the projects.

PV