Russia, Vietnam sign nuclear energy deal

AFP | Hanoi

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Russia and Vietnam signed an agreement on nuclear energy yesterday during a visit by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin aimed at deepening ties between the two long-standing allies.

Vietnam wants to restart nuclear power plans to meet its rapidly expanding energy needs and is hoping that Russia can help. No details about the agreement were immediately available but Vietnam’s science and technology ministry said on Tuesday Alexey Likhachiov, general director of Russia’s nuclear giant Rosatom, was “very interested” in cooperating with Vietnam on the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project. The project -- which involves two plants in central Ninh Thuan province with a combined capacity of 4,000 megawatts -- was originally to be developed with assistance from Rosatom and the Japanese consortium JINED before plans were scrapped in 2016.

Likhachiov was in Hanoi on Monday to meet Vietnamese Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh. The nuclear deal was among seven signed in a range of fields that also included digital technology and electronics.