The Government has made a brave decision to stop building the nuclear power plant project in the central province of Ninh Thuan, said deputy chairman of the National Assembly’s Science, Technology and Environment Committee Le Hong Tinh yesterday.

He made the statement on the sideline of a NA particular meeting to listen to Minister of Industry and Trade Tran Tuan Anh, authorized by the Government, to present a draft resolution on the project’s stop.

According to Mr. Le Hong Tinh, the assessment and inspection agency of the project has agreed with the Government’s proposal to no longer build the nuclear power plant.

The National Assembly will further discuss and analyze the proposal before making an official final decision.

Talking about reasons for the end of the project, Mr. Tinh said that besides insufficiency, Formosa environment disaster has raised fears of environment pollution.

Although there are technologies to preserve nuclear waste, it also poses implicit unsafe dangers even in developed nations.

Another cause for the stop is the unfeasibility of the project.

A feasibility report for the plant has nearly been done showing an issue from too high total investment capital, approximately double the originally expected level set by the NA in Resolution 41 on the plant investment policy.

Moreover, the resolution had not anticipated new developments in the East Sea when being issued, Mr. Tinh said.

From economic angle, he said that power price was formerly expected to swing from 4-4.5 US cents a kilowatt hour. Now cost price is calculated to near 8 cents per kilowatt hour. Besides, electricity ceiling price will increase.

Previously, the country calculated economic growth to average 7.5-8 percent a year or even higher at 9-10 percent. The higher economic growth is, the more energy demand will be.

For every percentage point increase in economic growth, power industry has to grow 2 percent. With the economic growth rate of 7-8 percent, it will be at least 16 percent a year.

If that happens, local electricity supply including hydro and thermal power sources will reach their exploitation limits so the country has to count nuclear power.

Still under current economic situation, the economic growth rate is likely to reach 6 percent at the highest, according to the project assessment and inspection agency’s representative.

Power saving technologies will help the electricity industry meet consumption demand until 2020-2021.

In response to the information that thousands of billion of dong have been spent on the nuclear power plant, Mr. Tinh affirmed it is true. If implementation is continued, the cost will further increase, he added.

Built infrastructures for the project will be used for other purposes. For instance areas where site clearance has completed will be for solar power, renewable energy and industrial park projects.

About human resources for nuclear power development, Mr. Tinh said that the country would have to train sooner or later.

Considering the project as a bitter lesson for assessment work, Mr. Tinh says that if relevant agencies do not stand out to take responsibility and continued building the plant, there will be unpredictable dangers.

SGGP