Vietnamese planners and their Russian counterparts are rushing to complete the first stages of Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant. While construction is scheduled to begin in 2014, slow land clearance, miscommunication and incomplete design are threatening the projects timetable.
On July 17, Russian and Vietnamese officials met to discuss ways to push the ambitions project along. There’s a huge amount of preparation necessary to begin construction of the plant, much of which have stalled. According to Vietnam News, there is no agency assigned to co-ordinate the project (surprise!). As a result, none of the preliminary infrastructure, including houses for future workers and specialists, has been built.
Secretary of the provincial Party's Committee, Nguyen Chi Dung, said that the focus is now on the exact location of the plant to clear the necessary land.
In 2010, the government identified nuclear power as the foundation for the country’s future power system with 8 plants scheduled for completion by 2025.
[VNS]