Vietnamese experts at the only atomic reactor in Da Lat city, Lam Dong province.

Two locations shortlisted for nuclear power plant

Vietnam places safety first in building nuclear power plants

Nuclear power: Seven agencies allowed to offer training

According to the ministry’s survey, Vietnam had 505 experts on nuclear technology in 2008 working in ten agencies, namely: the Atomic Energy Institute of Vietnam, the Ministry of Science and Technology’s Radiation and Nuclear Safety Agency, the Hanoi University of Technology, Da Lat University, Power University, Hanoi and HCM City Universities for Natural Sciences.

Of these experts, there were only 62 doctors, aged 50 on average. Of 12 associate professors and professors, four were between the ages of 60-62. The remaining were between 50-55.

There are five universities in Vietnam offering training in nuclear energy: Hanoi University of Technology, Hanoi and HCM City Universities of Natural Sciences, Da Lat University and Power University. However, these universities had only three associate professors and doctors, nine doctors, 21 master’s degree holders, 15 engineers and bachelors as lecturers.

The Vietnam Atomic Energy Institute has a PhD programme in nuclear physics. The Institute for Physics and Electronics and the Vietnam Institute for Science and Technology offer master’s and doctoral degrees in nuclear physics.

However, Vietnamese universities and institutes that provide training in nuclear technology mainly focus on theory; they offer little practical experience and they are not updated with new developments in the world. Their equipment is insufficient and outdated. Vietnam has only one 500kW atomic reactor at the Da Lat Institute for Nuclear Research, which was put into operation in 1963.

According to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and the French Power Group, the staff needed for a nuclear power plant of 2,000 MW is around 1,000 university graduates. Therefore, Vietnam needs around 2,400 university graduates for its first two nuclear power plants.

Besides 2,400 people who directly work at the plants, Vietnam needs an additional 350 people who are master’s and doctoral degree holders in nuclear law, nuclear technology research and development, and others.

The Education Ministry’s scheme says that by 2020, Vietnam will have 2,400 nuclear engineers, including 200 trained overseas; 350 master’s and doctoral degree holders in nuclear technology, including 150 trained abroad.

The ministry plans to train 650 engineers, 250 master’s degree holders and doctors for management and application of nuclear technology; 100 master’s and doctoral degree holders for nuclear training units; and send 500 managers and scientists in the field of nuclear technology to foreign countries to learn experience.

At the current training pace (70 engineers and bachelors and 20 master’s and doctoral degree holders per year), by 2020 Vietnam can train 700 engineers, bachelors and 200 master’s and doctoral degree holders. Thus, the country will still lack 2,000 engineers and bachelors and 100 master’s and doctoral degree holders for its nuclear power plants.

VietNamNet/VNE