Vietnam's National Assembly Approves Agreement for Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Project

Vietnam's National Assembly on August 24 approved agreements related to the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project at the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly, advancing the country's first commercial nuclear power project into a new preparatory phase. The project plans to build two Russian-designed VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor units with a total installed capacity of approximately 2,400 MW.

The Vietnamese government news website

reported that Vietnam and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement in Moscow in March this year, establishing a framework for cooperation on the construction of the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant. Under the current plan, Russia will participate in the supply and construction of the project.

On the same day, the National Assembly also voted to pass a resolution to split the original Ninh Thuan nuclear power project into three independent projects: the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project, the Ninh Thuan 2 Nuclear Power Plant project, and a compensation, support, and resettlement project serving the construction of the Ninh Thuan nuclear power plants. Of the 481 delegates who participated in the vote, 476 voted in favor.

The split aims to clarify the legal status of each project, enabling the two nuclear power plants and the supporting resettlement project to undergo separate investment approval procedures. Vietnam stated that the original 2009 National Assembly resolution approved the overall Ninh Thuan nuclear power project without listing Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 as independent projects, leaving subsequent investment approvals without a complete legal basis. Under the new arrangement, each nuclear power plant must obtain separate investment approval.

Vietnam first proposed building two nuclear power plants in Ninh Thuan province as early as 2009, and had selected Russia's State Atomic Energy Corporation (Rosatom) and Japan Atomic Power Company to participate in the relevant projects. At that time, Russia agreed to provide an $8 billion loan for the first nuclear power plant, which was originally scheduled to break ground in 2014. However, in 2016, the National Assembly rejected the plan due to cost concerns.

In December 2024, the National Assembly asked the government to resume the nuclear power development plan. In April 2025, the government approved a revised national power development plan, allocating $136 billion by 2030 to strengthen long-term energy security, and incorporating nuclear power into the plan for the first time.

Previously disclosed information shows that Vietnam hopes to put the first nuclear power plant in Ninh Thuan province into operation by the end of 2031, with the second plant to be commissioned between 2036 and 2040. The National Assembly has now called for accelerating the deployment schedule, targeting the commissioning of both nuclear power plants between 2030 and 2035.