VietNamNet talks with the chief of Ninh Thuan province’s National Assembly delegation, colonel Hoang Ngoc Thai, who submitted a ten-point petition about Ninh Thuan’s first nuclear power project.

 Deputy Hoang Ngoc Thai (middle).

Deputy Thai is a member of Ninh Thuan Province’s Party Standing Committee, chief commander of Ninh Thuan Province Military Headquarters and a member of the National Assembly’s Committee for Foreign Affairs.

Building the first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan was a hot topic at the National Assembly’s session in late 2009. Many people still remember that you, as the chief of Ninh Thuan province’s National Assembly delegation, spoke frankly about matters related to this project. Could you tell us more about the petition?

Initially when we heard about this project, local people, and myself as well, were very worried about nuclear security because we were concerned by the Chernobyl event.

The construction of a nuclear power plant requires high standards in terms of human resources, technology, etc. We worried whether Vietnam is capable of developing such a plan and ensure nuclear security.

However, after getting sufficient information from the media and the investor, local residents have understood the meaning of that project and agreed with it.

At the 6^th National Assembly session, the National Assembly approved this project. Accordingly, the construction of the first plant will start in 2014 and complete in 2020.

How was the National Assembly, the people’s representative, convened to approve this project?

The Ministry of Industry and Trade organized many trips for Ninh Thuan’s officials to visit nuclear plants in Japan, France, the US and China. I myself was very ambiguous about nuclear power but after visiting 3-4 nuclear power plants in Japan, I’m partly assured of nuclear security. We have proposed related agencies to invite representatives of local people in the two communes where nuclear power plants to be built to visit some nuclear power plants too.

Vietnam has prepared this project for 15 years. Why did you still carefully research the project and present the ten-point petition at the National Assembly’s session last year?

Not only deputies of Ninh Thuan province but other deputies showed their worries when the National Assembly discussed this project. The investment capital estimated in 2008 is 200 trillion dong but how will it be when the project is implemented? I think that is a proper worry.

From now until the project is implemented, we will have to finalize technical design, resettlement and other tasks. The policy is clear but the government needs to strictly control the implementation in accordance with the National Assembly resolution to ensure the life of local people, who have to move to have land for the project.

The Party and the Government’s policy is to make the life of people who have to move to serve key projects better after resettlement but investors of some big projects didn’t realize that policy. The Son La hydropower project is a lesson. What do you think about this fact?

The National Assembly asked the government to have a special policy on social welfare for local people so local people will have good accommodations and stable job after their resettlement. This policy must be carried out well.

The project developer, the local government and local people have to well cooperate to implement this policy.

In your ten-point petition, you noted the supervision task, especially the people’s supervision, over the nuclear power project. How should this task be carried out?

There will have a national council which helps the government to supervise the implementation of this project. This council will include top experts and scientists, including foreign experts.

But I believe that we need to have a people’s council representing the local people to supervise the project.

We don’t decide the technology for the nuclear power plant. The National Assembly said that we need to use the most advance technology at the time of construction. We believe that the national council and the Ministry of Industry and Trade will consider this carefully. However, the constituents and the National Assembly expect that this work will effectively and sustainably work.

Xuan Linh