Thailand plans nuclear reactors with US help

US Vice President Kamala Harris announced that the United States would work with Thailand to create new small nuclear reactors. The programme is aimed at producing nuclear power in the country to fight climate change. The nuclear reactors are part of the Net Zero World programme launched last year.

Right now, Thailand doesn’t have any nuclear power. Public sentiment has been generally against nuclear power for the past decade, after the nuclear disaster in Fukushima in Japan in 2011.

The US vice president announced the plan this morning at the ongoing Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Summit in Bangkok this week. The programme was originally created at the Glasgow climate summit last year where philanthropists and the private sector join forces with the US government to work on clean energy initiatives.

To help Thailand come into the nuclear age, the US will aid with technical assistance in building small modular reactors. These reactors are portable and safer than large traditional nuclear reactors because they can be shut down remotely in case of emergency and don’t require any human interaction.

A statement from the White House said that these reactors use new technology and take up less space, all while having the highest standards of safety, security, and non-proliferation. Experts from the US will work with Thailand to implement the technology.

The move toward clean nuclear power will help Thailand progress along its goal of being carbon neutral by 2065. No timeline has been announced, however, on how quickly these small nuclear reactors will be built, according to Thai PBS World.

The US partnered with Thailand to implement these reactors, though the technology is now being developed by Argentina, China, and Russia as well. Those countries are said to be in the design phase, with prototypes being built now.

Vice President Harris made the statements while representing the US at the APEC Summit. She will meet later today with PM Prayut Chan-o-cha to hold further discussions on the nuclear power plan. As part of its announced commitment to Thailand, the US has also clubs to work on building a world-class Cancer Treatment centre in Chon Buri as well as increasing the safety of fifth-generation internet in Thailand.