As reported recently in this space, Vietnam's commitment to nuclear energy is on course for rapid, yet sober, development.
Bloomberg reports:
Russia to Lend Vietnam $9B for First Nuke Plant
Russia agreed to lend Vietnam as much as $9 billion to fund the construction of the Southeast Asian nation’s first nuclear power plant as the countries deepen their economic ties.
“The total loan value will be between $8 billion and $9 billion, depending on prices of materials at the time we start construction,” Phan Minh Tuan, head of state-run Vietnam Electricity’s nuclear energy development department, said by telephone today. The lending period will be as long as 28 years, Tuan said, declining to disclose the interest rate.
Vietnam said last year it plans to build as many as 13 nuclear power stations with a capacity totaling 16,000 megawatts over the next two decades. The announcement attracted interest from atomic plant builders including Moscow-based Rosatom Corp. and China’s Guangdong Nuclear Power Group Co.
This is actually a slow pace. I used "rapid" above but in reality they are taking their time.
Vietnam said in August last year it’s pursuing an agreement with the U.S. on civilian nuclear technology and welcomed overseas assistance, potentially signaling greater access for American companies including General Electric Co. to compete for contracts with rivals from Russia, China, Japan and France.
Vietnamese President Truong Tan Sang agreed Nov. 7 to seek greater cooperation with South Korea on the development of a nuclear power plant using South Korean technology, according to a joint statement released after talks in Seoul with his counterpart President Lee Myung Bak.
So, what does it all mean? Vietnam has a national plan like many country to confront it's future energy needs. The comparison is with the U.S. which simply doesn't have a national plan. It can't so long as its wedded to the highly bureaucratic, free-market and high interest rate policies for commercial loans. This includes all sort of alternative energy as well as nuclear.
The next five years are key, at least for nuclear energy. As dozens and dozens of new plants around the world come on line, proof-of-concept for Generation III reactors will make or break the Nuclear Renaissance. If the massive number of Chinese and Korean plants come online safely expect a huge international reevaluation of nuclear as something that can not only bury coal burning, but perhaps natural gas as well.
The various 'block building' of nuclear right now include the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Vietnam, China, Russia, the US, various Eastern European countries, the UK and a few others, even Iran if their now-online-nuclear plant plans out and no one attacks the country. These above countries are planning up to dozens of new nuclear and some have started already. The environmental aspects or impact have or can have profound implications for our species to lift itself out of poverty and reduce carbon in the atmosphere. But only if non-carbon energy can mitigate, then phase out, coal and natural gas. If not, all bets are off. This is why I noted the "next 5 years".