Vietnam’s National Assembly voted 476-5 on August 24 to divide the Ninh Thuan nuclear power programme into three legally separate projects, addressing a legal gap that had constrained the country’s first nuclear power effort. The restructuring separates the Ninh Thuan 1 and Ninh Thuan 2 plant projects from a resettlement component, allowing each to proceed under its own investment approval process.
Key Facts At A Glance
- Resolution passed at the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly, with 476 of 481 participating deputies voting in favor (95.2%)
- The programme splits into three independent projects: Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant, Ninh Thuan 2 Nuclear Power Plant, and a compensation, support and resettlement project
- Ninh Thuan 1 involves two Russian-designed VVER-1200 reactors with combined capacity of 2,400 MW, built under a March 2026 intergovernmental agreement with Russia’s Rosatom
- The original investment policy dates to National Assembly Resolution No. 41/2009/QH12, adopted before Vietnam’s Law on Public Investment took effect
- Vietnam Electricity (EVN) is the designated investor for Ninh Thuan 1; PetroVietnam (PVN) is designated investor for Ninh Thuan 2
- The resolution took effect immediately upon adoption
- A steering committee established under Decision No. 72/QD-TTg will continue coordinating nuclear safety, security and shared infrastructure across all three projects
Vietnam’s National Assembly approved a resolution splitting the Ninh Thuan nuclear power project into three independent components on August 24, a restructuring officials said was necessary to clear legal obstacles that had slowed the country’s return to nuclear power. The vote passed with 476 of 481 participating deputies in favor, a 95.2% margin, at the first extraordinary session of the 16th National Assembly.
Under the resolution, the existing Ninh Thuan nuclear power project separates into the Ninh Thuan 1 Nuclear Power Plant project, the Ninh Thuan 2 Nuclear Power Plant project, and a standalone compensation, support and resettlement project. Presenting the government’s report ahead of the vote, Minister of Finance Ngo Van Tuan said the restructuring would give each project a clear legal status and allow investment procedures to proceed independently rather than being tied to a single, outdated approval framework.
The legal problem traced back to 2009. National Assembly Resolution No. 41/2009/QH12, which approved the original investment policy, predated Vietnam’s Law on Public Investment and did not establish the investment-policy elements the law now requires, nor did it separately identify the two plant projects as distinct components. Tuan said this left insufficient legal basis to use standard procedures for adjusting the investment policy of the two plants, requiring the split instead. He added that the government had briefed the Politburo, which agreed in principle with the approach.
Despite the legal separation, the three projects remain under a single coordination structure. A steering committee for nuclear power plant construction, established under Decision No. 72/QD-TTg in 2025 and later consolidated under Decision No. 1689/QD-TTg, will continue directing cross-agency matters including nuclear safety, security, environmental protection and shared technical infrastructure. The resolution also includes transitional provisions: Resolution No. 41/2009/QH12 will remain in force until the government reports to the National Assembly on terminating it, a step tied to the approval of Ninh Thuan 1’s new investment policy and progress on Ninh Thuan 2.
Legal analysis published two days after the vote characterized the move as more than an administrative change. The restructuring gives Ninh Thuan 2 in particular a clearer legal pathway from national nuclear ambition toward an independently structured, financeable and executable infrastructure project, according to a client note from law firm Duane Morris. The firm noted that mega-projects of this scale generally cannot attract financing until their legal foundations are unambiguous, framing the resolution as an institutional threshold for the programme rather than a final step.
Ninh Thuan 1 is furthest along procedurally. Vietnam and Russia signed an intergovernmental agreement in March 2026 covering construction of two VVER-1200 pressurized water reactor units with combined capacity of 2,400 MW, based on Russia’s Leningrad II reference design. EVN is the designated investor for Ninh Thuan 1, while PVN is designated investor for Ninh Thuan 2, according to earlier government reporting on the restructuring proposal.