U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONER DISCUSSES COOPERATION

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 HANOI 000362 SIPDIS DEPT FOR EAP/K AND EAP/MLS DEPT PASS TO NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION (KIRK FOGGIE) DEPT OF ENERGY FOR NNSA/NA-21 (SARAH FRAZER, KEN APT, SARAH DICKERSON) SENSITIVE SIPDIS E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ENRG TRGY TECH OTRA KNNP VM SUBJECT: U.S. NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSIONER DISCUSSES COOPERATION WITH VIETNAM (U) SENSITIVE BUT UNCLASSIFIED. PLEASE PROTECT ACCORDINGLY. ¶1. (SBU) Summary: Vietnamese officials signaled a strong willingness to enter into a cooperative agreement with the United States on nuclear regulatory issues during U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield's visit to Hanoi on February 5. Officials told Commissioner Merrifield that Vietnam plans to build a nuclear plant in central Vietnam by 2020, though officials noted they must overcome a range of regulatory and other challenges. They said Vietnam would sign a contract soon with Russia to convert the fuel at the Dalat research reactor to low-enriched uranium (LEU) from high-enriched uranium (HEU). Officials also described their progress writing a new nuclear energy law which the National Assembly will pass in late 2007. End Summary. ¶2. (SBU) Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner Jeffrey Merrifield visited Hanoi on February 5 to discuss nuclear regulatory issues, including the potential of a cooperative agreement between the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) and the GVN on nuclear regulation, Vietnam's plans to build a nuclear reactor, and Vietnam's progress writing a new atomic energy law. Commissioner Merrifield met with Vice Minister of Science and Technology Le Dinh Tien, as well as officials at the Vietnam Atomic Energy Commission (VAEC) and the Vietnam Agency for Radiation and Nuclear Safety and Control (VARANSAC). The visit followed the mid-December trip to Vietnam by International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director-General Mohamed El Baradei, in which the IAEA pledged almost $1.5 million to Vietnam to develop nuclear technology over the next two years. The last visit to Vietnam by a U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commissioner was in ¶1999. MOST "delighted" to cooperate -------------- ¶3. (SBU) Vice Minister Tien outlined the range of Vietnam's nuclear challenges: Vietnam has learned that management of radioactive facilities is "not so good," and needs to put in place improved processes to regulate the safety and control of radioactive materials and facilities. Many enterprises importing radiological sources for business are not registering with the government, and �00A;therefore the government's inventory of radioactive materials is not adequate, he said. Second, the Ministry must create a nuclear waste storage site, as many spent materials are now stored at radiological facilities. Third, the government needs to work with customs authorities to improve controls over the imports and exports of radioactive materials. Fourth, the GVN must trade the highly-enriched uranium (HEU) at the Dalat Research Reactor for low-enriched uranium (LEU). The contracts for this transformation are now being finalized, VM Tien said, but the project is complex and requires cooperation of Vietnam Customs, the Ministry of Public Security, the Ministry of Transportation, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ho Chi Minh City airport, he said. Finally, the Prime Minister has tasked MOST with writing the new Atomic Energy law for the National Assembly's passage in late 2007. Tien added that the Prime Minister has already approved MOST's National Strategy for the Peaceful Use of Nuclear Energy, which outlines Vietnam's plans to build its first nuclear reactor by 2020. ¶4. (SBU) Commissioner Merrifield thanked Tien for his overview and explained in detail the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission's role in the nuclear regulation in the United States. The United States has 104 nuclear reactors and in the next two years it could receive applications for up to 29 new reactors, he said. He noted that the United States has been involved in nuclear cooperation with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and has active bilateral cooperative arrangements with 36 countries -- virtually every country using nuclear energy in the world. He emphasized how important it is for a country to understand the commitment and time it takes to develop nuclear energy and commended the GVN for its efforts thus far. He emphasized the importance of the agreement between the United States and Vietnam, signed when President Bush visited in November, to switch out HEU for LEU at the Dalat reactor. Commissioner Merrifield explained that one of the reasons for his visit was to explore the possibility of a bilateral "arrangement" on nuclear regulation with the United States. He also asked Tien if he had any idea of the timing of the Dalat reactor's conversion. ¶5. (SBU) Tien responded: "On behalf of MOST, I'd like to say that we are very delighted about the prospect of future cooperation with the United States." Vietnam has not developed a regulatory framework yet and he encouraged Mr. Merrifield to discuss the cooperative arrangement further with VARANSAC. Regarding the conversion of the Dalat reactor, Tien noted that it was not yet clear when the uranium transfer would occur because the ministry had to wait until the contracts between Vietnam and Russia and Vietnam and the IAEA were concluded. He said that a contract draft had been prepared by HANOI 00000362 002 OF 003 Russia but that the GVN had suggested amendments. The contract should be finished soon, however, he said. Finally, Commissioner Merrifield invited the Vice Minister to a nuclear regulatory conference in the United States in March. Nuclear Power Plant by 2020 -------------- ¶6. (SBU) Vietnam plans to build a nuclear power plant by 2020, and officials at all three agencies discussed the matter in detail. Vice Minister Tien said the GVN had made no decision on the technology that would be used, but had been approached by several companies, most notably those from France and Japan. Commissioner Merrifield noted that the ministry would likely be approached also by American firms, including General Electric and Westinghouse. He also explained that the United States had experienced excellent cooperation with South Korea in its successful development of a nuclear program over the last 20 years. VAEC -------------- ¶7. (SBU) VAEC Vice Chairman Le Van Hong further outlined Vietnam's nuclear power plans. The first 2000 MW plant will be a turn-key model with two reactors, each with a 1000 MW capacity. The site for the plant would have space for four reactors, to allow for future expansion. Companies from France, Argentine, Korea and Japan had visited Vietnam, though no U.S. companies had yet expressed an interest. Regarding the design, Hong said that Vietnam "wants an advanced design" and that the Russian AV 1000 design most likely "could not meet that demand." Merrifield inquired as to how Vietnam would provide the off-site power necessary to supply the plant in case the reactor is not operational. Hong responded that Vietnam possessed a 500 KV transmission line used to transmit electricity from southern to northern Vietnam, but added that power redundancy issues were important and said the matter would have to be raised with design providers. Vietnam will import the plant's uranium from the design provider, though mining of uranium for future plants was a possibility, he added. Vietnam also aims to develop some of the simple equipment for the fifth or sixth nuclear reactors to be built over the long term. ¶8. (SBU) Vice Chairman Hong emphasized three important activities to be undertaken as Vietnam develops nuclear power: 1) improving education of nuclear scientists and officials; 2) conducting site selection and feasibility studies; and 3) promulgating a regulatory framework. He reiterated the Vice Minister's eagerness for a bilateral nuclear arrangement, and suggested that the agreement would be best signed with MOST, so that both VAEC and VARANSAC could take advantage of it. Commissioner Merrifield responded that that he would soon forward a model agreement via the U.S. Embassy to MOST for review. In response to Vice Chairman Hong's request for financial assistance, Commissioner Merrifield said that the NRC is an agency supported by fees for licenses to nuclear power stations in the United States, and does not have financial resources for foreign assistance, but the NRC could provide training in the United States, and exchange of information with the GVN, particularly on technical and safety codes. VARANSAC: Power Needs and the Atomic Energy Law -------------- -- ¶9. (SBU) VARANSAC Chairman Ngo Dang Nhan outlined VARANSAC's activities and structure, noting that by 2020, Vietnam will lack 36 billion KWH and 119 billion KWH by 2030. Such a power deficit makes the development of nuclear power essential, he said. In Vietnam's National Power Plan of 2000, the GVN stated its aim to develop 4000 MW of nuclear power by 2017, representing five to nine percent of Vietnam's national power capacity. There are now 2000 radiation facilities in Vietnam, including medical and industrial facilities, and 1000 facilities that are using radiation sources. ¶10. (SBU) Vietnam is moving forward quickly on the development of a nuclear regulatory framework. Nhan noted that while the GVN issued only five nuclear legal documents between 1995 and 2005, in 2006 alone it had issued seven. On the Nuclear Energy Law now being drafted, Nhan said that MOST had recently chosen VARANSAC's draft 1.5 after both VAEC and VARANSAC had submitted competing versions to the ministry. The final draft of the law will be submitted to the government by mid-2007 prior to its scheduled passage by late 2007, he said. Commissioner Merrifield congratulated VARANSAC for having its draft chosen, and noted it was appropriate for the regulator to be drafting this law. He urged VARANSAC to draft a law making the regulator as independent as possible, ensuring better regulation and helping Vietnam's nuclear program obtain a higher degree of HANOI 00000362 003 OF 003 international acceptance. Nhan emphasized that VARANSAC looks forward to cooperation with the United States and provided to the Commissioner a proposal listing areas of future cooperation. They were: --The exchange of nuclear regulatory documents --Discussions of U.S. regulatory documents --Training --Cooperation on Vietnam's participation in international treaties --Technical Assistance --Assistance with the development of a system to help Vietnam monitor and track radioactive sources and materials ¶11. (SBU) Commissioner Merrifield said he would need to examine the proposal in detail before providing any definitive response to the proposals. He added, however, that while the NRC has little funding for international projects, nothing in the proposal appeared to present "major problems." Comment -------------- ¶12. (SBU) Post stands ready to assist the NRC in taking advantage of the GVN's eagerness to conclude a bilateral cooperative agreement on nuclear regulation. Post agrees that the agreement should be signed with MOST (i.e., at the ministerial level) so that cooperation with MOST, VAEC and VARANSAC can occur. President Triet's visit to the United States in June would present an ideal opportunity to sign any agreement, even though such a date would be ambitious. ¶13. This cable was cleared by the Commissioner Merrifield. MARINE