VietNamNet Bridge – Da Lat University in Central Highlands Lam Dong Province will receive simulated equipment for nuclear education donated by the Republic of Korea (RoK) later this month.

The donation forms part of activities under a 2-million-USD project funded by the Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power’s Central Research Institute, with the aim to support the training of Vietnamese nuclear power personnel.

The equipment that simulates the operation of the RoK-designed OPR 1000 (Optimised Power Reactor) in real time is the first of its kind in Vietnam, promising to facilitate not only personnel training but also research at Da Lat University, a major supplier of nuclear power human resources for the country.

The university has to date trained more than 100 technicians and 600 others in the field of atomic physics. It has recently seen an increasing demand for the major since the country worked on a plan to build nuclear power plants to ensure a high degree of energy security.

Da Lat University is among six institutions nationwide training in nuclear power. It has also collaborated with other RoK partners, including the Korea Hydro and Nuclear Power Co. Ltd and Seoul National University (SNU) in the field.

Vietnam’s first nuclear power plant, Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant No.1 in central Ninh Thuan Province, will start construction by the end of the year as stated in the National Assembly’s Resolution 41/2009/QH12, later than scheduled, following the safety lessons learned from the 2011 Fukushima nuclear incident in Japan, with an initial focus on infrastructure, such as roads and water and electricity supply

Director General of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety Vuong Huu Tan said the country would need about 6,000-10,000 workers to construct, operate and maintain its nuclear power plants.

Meanwhile, Director General of Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) Pham Le Thanh informed that a nuclear power plant with a capacity of about 2,000 MW needs 1,100 people directly involved in operation and maintenance works, on average.

To date, core members participating in the construction and operations of the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plants have been trained in Russia and Japan, respectively.

VNA/VNN