Vietnam has completed the necessary legal framework to push forward theapplication of atomic energy to develop nuclear power, furtheringsocio-economic development.

The Atomic Energy Law issued in 2008regulates the establishment of the Vietnam Agency for Radiation andNuclear Safety (VARANS) that will be in charge of atomic energy safetymanagement, including radiation waste and used nuclear fuels.

In a bid to implement the Law, the Ministry of Science andTechnology promulgated a circular specifying the principals to manageradiation waste.

Regulations were issued on 2014 on financialobligations of organisations owning nuclear power plants which includefunding for radiation waste treatment. The Prime Minister also ratifiedan overall plan for radioactive waste storage and disposal sites by2030.

VARANS Director General Vuong Huu Tan said that warehouseconstruction for low-level radiation waste disposal will be implementedin six years, starting from 2015, saying that the warehouse will becomeoperational in 2020, tackling radioactive waste from the first nuclearpower plants.

He highlighted that policies on used nuclear fueltreatment and sites for the permanent burying of high-level nuclearwaste will be mapped out from 2030-2050.

According to theInternational Atomic Energy Agency, Vietnam needs to build additionallegal documents such as strategies for high-level nuclear waste and usedfuel management as well as technical standards on radiation wastetreatment.-VNA