Small reactors to signal new chapter

As foreign investors and entrepreneurs continue to ramp up demand for clean energy, Thailand will need to reconsider utilising nuclear power, writes Yuthana Praiwan

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The government's sustained efforts to promote clean energy and high-tech investment, especially regarding data centres, may lead Thailand to embark on a new energy chapter.

Foreign investors wishing to expand their cloud service and data centre businesses here demand clean power for their operations. Entrepreneurs in other industries also want more renewable energy in order to keep their factories operating in line with the global campaign to reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

This may cause Thailand to reconsider nuclear power, which is cleaner than fossil fuel-derived forms of energy, as renewable forms of energy may not be sufficient to meet growing demand.

INVESTMENT SUPPORT

Clean energy will become a new magnet to attract foreign investment as demand for it grows, with a steady electricity supply from a small modular reactor (SMR) having the potential to support future business development projects, said Narit Therdsteerasukdi, secretary-general of the Board of Investment (BoI).

An SMR is a form of nuclear power technology with a capacity of up to 300 megawatts per unit, or about one-third of the generating capacity of larger, traditional nuclear power reactors, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Thailand has been focusing on solar and wind power, but they are intermittent sources of energy as production generated by these sources depends on the weather conditions and seasons.

Entrepreneurs, especially those operating data centres, need clean energy to support their operations around the clock.

"Thailand needs more investment in targeted industries to support efforts to escape its middle-income country status, but we need to ensure investors have a highly stable power supply," said Mr Narit.