Thailand mulling nuclear-powered transition to alternative energy
Energy Minister Piraphan Salirathavibhaga will have the final say on whether to include a nuclear power plant as a source of alternative energy in the revised Power Development Plan (PDP), the ministry said on Thursday.
The ministry is currently revising points in the PDP on the ratio of natural gas and renewable energy, and power saving measures, permanent secretary Prasert Sinsukprasert said.
The revised plan will include a proposal to build Thailand’s first nuclear power plant.
If Piraphan endorses the plan with the nuclear plant proposal, the ministry will hold public hearings on the issue starting late this month or early next month, Prasert said.
Public hearings would be necessary as people are still worried about the safety of nuclear energy following the earthquake/tsunami-induced meltdown at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant in 2011, he added.
Prasert said the hearings would give information on safety measures if Thailand decided to go ahead with nuclear energy development.
The revised PDP will increase the ratio of alternative/fossil energy to 70%:30% while planning for the decommissioning of coal and gas power plants, he continued.
Prasert said that while Indonesia and Vietnam had cheaper rates of electricity because they use coal-fired power plants, they do not have the same level of energy security as Thailand, which is focused on hydropower and alternative energy.
