Thailand Moves Toward Nuclear Power with Small Modular Reactor Proposal
BANGKOK — Thailand is taking steps toward incorporating nuclear energy into its power strategy, with renewed interest in small modular reactors (SMRs) gaining traction among major energy firms. The move reflects both corporate and government alignment on the need for energy diversification and carbon emission reductions, as the country prepares to update its long-term power development plan.
The proposal, which involves the installation of SMRs—compact nuclear reactors with a maximum output of 300 megawatts—comes amid rising electricity demand and a push to reduce dependence on fossil fuels. According to an energy sector executive who requested anonymity, firms such as Ratch Group, Global Power Synergy Plc, and Saha Pathanapibul International Plc are actively exploring the potential of SMRs in Thailand.
Global Power Synergy, a subsidiary of state-owned PTT Plc, has initiated a feasibility study on SMR deployment. The study, the company stated, is part of its strategy to meet growing power needs while achieving long-term decarbonisation targets.
The private sector’s increased interest in SMRs coincides with government plans to include nuclear power in the national Power Development Plan (PDP) covering 2024 to 2037. Under the current draft of the PDP, two SMRs—each capable of generating 300MW—are scheduled to begin operation by the end of the planning period. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), through its subsidiary Ratch Group, could oversee their development.
The concept of SMRs, endorsed by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), offers a more flexible and potentially safer alternative to traditional large-scale reactors. SMRs use passive safety systems, such as natural circulation and gravity-fed cooling, to manage heat removal in the event of a power failure—an improvement over older designs that depend on external power sources to operate cooling mechanisms.
Some SMR designs are also capable of using reprocessed spent nuclear fuel, helping to address longstanding concerns about radioactive waste management. Supporters argue this makes the technology not only safer but also more sustainable.
Thailand’s interest in nuclear energy is not new. The country explored nuclear development in the 1970s, with Egat positioned as the project lead. However, the discovery of natural gas in the Gulf of Thailand in the early 1980s led to the project being shelved. Nuclear power returned to planning documents in the 2010 version of the PDP, with a target of 2,000MW of nuclear capacity expected to come online in the early 2020s. Those plans were abandoned following the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan, which caused global re-evaluation of nuclear safety.
Public and private perceptions of nuclear technology will be a key theme of a seminar titled “A Global Dialogue on SMR Deployment,” to be held in Bangkok on July 16. The event, co-hosted by Ratch Group and Saha Pathanapibul International, aims to inform stakeholders and foster discussion on the role of SMRs in Thailand’s future energy mix.