The Role of Nuclear Power in Energy Security and Climate Change in Vietnam

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the role of nuclear power in terms of energy security and climate change in Vietnam. To facilitate comparison with Vietnam’s energy development plan, the paper also discusses the Korean experience from various perspectives: past history of nuclear energy supply among other energy sources, energy consumption, energy policy and nuclear power development, consumer reactions and corporate social responsibility. The study shows that nuclear power will play an important role in Vietnam’s energy security and greenhouse gas mitigation (GHG) in the future. However, the paper also argues that such an ambitious nuclear development plan may also contain risks due to poor infrastructure and the lack of human resources. As a conclusion, a more cautious nuclear power development plan can be regarded as suitable for Vietnam.