Ninh Thuan agrees with, places high expectations on nuclear power project: Official

The core area of ​​the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project formerly located in Vinh Truong village, Phuoc Dinh commune, Thuan Nam district. (Photo: VNA)

In an interview granted to the Vietnam News Agency, Nam said that since 2009, when the 12th National Assembly passed Resolution 41/2009/QH12 on the policy to build the Ninh Thuan Nuclear Power Plant, the local Party organisation, administration, and people had highly agreed with the implementation of the project, and coordinated well to carry out the tasks until the 14th National Assembly issued Resolution 31/2016/NQ-QH14, which halted the project. Since then, local people in the project areas have faced many difficulties and are hoping for the early stabilisation of their lives and livelihoods.

At present, with the legislature’s decision to restart the project, the Party organisation, administration, people of the project areas, and voters across the province are all unanimous with, confident in, and committed to following the decisions, policies, and leadership of the Party.

This is a great honour for the Party organisation and people of Ninh Thuan, as the National Assembly has approved the continuation of the nuclear power project. This comes at a time when it is essential to ensure a sufficient energy supply, particularly clean energy, to meet the urgent development needs of the entire country by 2030, 2045, and beyond, with a focus on sustainability, he stressed.

Ninh Thuan is always eager to contribute its efforts and resources, and join hands with the entire nation and the Vietnamese people to fulfill the aspiration for the country's development, moving towards a new era – the era of the nation’s rise as initiated by Party General Secretary To Lam.

Regarding difficulties facing the locality following the NA’s decision to suspend the policy to implement the project on November 26, 2016, Nam stated that this decision altered its growth and development scenarios previously approved by the Prime Minister. In addition, the socio-economic infrastructure and public welfare facilities in Phuoc Dinh and Vinh Hai communes, as well as neighbouring areas, have deteriorated due to a lack of investment while awaiting relocation.

Local people in the project areas have faced numerous hardships during this prolonged period of waiting. They earnestly hope to be relocated to new settlement areas soon, enabling them to stabilise their lives and resume production activities.

Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Quoc Nam (L) grants an interview to the Vietnam News Agency's reporter. (Photo: VNA)

The province has organised direct dialogues with residents and engagements with officials, civil servants, Party members, political organisations, and the public to provide a clearer understanding of the legislative body’s decision to halt the project. Through these efforts, pressing concerns of the people have been promptly addressed, fostering high consensus with the State's policy.

To stabilise production for residents in the project areas, the National Assembly and the Government have allocated 273 billion VND (10.7 million USD) to the province in 2024. Together with locally balanced budget funds, the province has invested in 17 projects, including transport works and schools, in the two areas designated for the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 nuclear power plants, Nam shared.

Ninh Thuan has identified that, while awaiting the implementation of upcoming tasks, immediate efforts must focus on ensuring that residents in the project areas have access to basic living, working, and production conditions. Most importantly, building trust among the people is essential to ensure their confidence and willingness to support and accompany the implementation of critical and urgent tasks related to the construction of the nuclear power plants.

In the immediate term, the province will proactively conduct surveys, gather opinions, and understand the concerns and aspirations of residents in the project areas.

At the same time, it will seek approval from the central authorities to adjust the Ninh Thuan master planning scheme for the 2021–2030 period, with a vision to 2050, which supplements an orientation to develop the nuclear power plants. It will also select strategies for developing various sectors and industries, reassess development scenarios, and adjust land-use and construction plans for the nuclear power development areas to ensure readiness for implementation.

To help Ninh Thuan seize opportunities and create momentum for rapid socio-economic development in the coming time, the provincial leader proposed the central authorities to consider supporting specialised policy groups for the province. These include investments in power transmission infrastructure, policies for subsidising electricity prices for residents, and measures to improve infrastructure in healthcare, education, social insurance, transport, tourism, agriculture, and industry.

The province also seeks assistance in investment in critical regional and inter-regional connectivity infrastructure to establish strategic corridors to foster industrial, trade, and tourism development in the province and neighboring localities, thus contributing to accelerating sustainable socio-economic growth, and quickly narrowing development gaps with other localities in the region and nationwide, Nam said, adding that this is a national key project with a substantial total investment, significant impact, and a core role in driving the socio-economic development of the province in the coming period./.