No Official Plan For Nuclear Power In Thailand: Energy Ministry

[webfact]

Energy Ministry:No Official Plan for Nuclear Power In Thailand

The Energy Minister said that the government has no immediate plans for constructing a nuclear power plant in Thailand and that all previous efforts to explore the construction of nuclear facilities in Thailand were just a part of feasibility studies.

The Energy Minister, Wannarat Channukul gave a speech yesterday regarding the duties of the Energy Regulatory Commission or ERC in granting licenses and advising energy usage.

During the talk, the coordinator of the Thai Network Against Nuclear Power Plants, Sodsai Sangsok led about 100 people in demonstrating their opposition to the Energy Ministry's policy for building a nuclear power plant in the Sirindhorn District, Ubon Ratchathani Province over the next 5 to 6 years.

Wannarat accepted a letter from the Thai Network Against Nuclear Power Plants stating their opposition to the plant, and clarified that the Government has no official plans for constructing a Nuclear Power Plant in Thailand.

He said authorities are currently studying the pros and cons of the project, while saying that the situation in Japan has further postponed any possible construction plans.

He said Thailand needs to make security their number one priority in considering construction projects.

Meanwhile, Wannarat pointed out that Thailand still has alternative sources for creating energy such as biomass, hydro energy, wind energy, and solar energy.

He said solar energy has the ability to generate around 500 megawatts within 15 years.

He also urged all Thais to help save energy.

On the other hand, Sodsai said that the Thai Network Against Nuclear Power Plants will continue to reveal negative facts about the construction of a Nuclear Power Plant, which she claims the government is hiding from the public.

-- Tan Network 2011-03-22

[kalseo]

I don't know is it funny or tragic, but 99.9% of electric sockets in Thailand are not ground and they are talking about nuclear power, haha!

[AgentSmith]

Nuclear power plants in a country where sunlight is so abundant would be very stupid. Especially with cheaper solar panels almost in production (with amorphous silicon) reasons to have potentially very destructive technology are virtually non-existent. And this is also a good time for Japan and the rest of the world to finally seriously consider using other energy sources, sources that are abundant too despite a lot of news sources trying to convince us from the opposite. Even in cold climates it's easy and relatively cheap to obtain energy from an alternative source. That would be the planet itself in the form of geothermal energy. Dig several 100 meters deep and you can easily heat up water. Combine this with a heat pump and there you have virtually unlimited energy to heat up houses, blocks and even entire cities. Now the current energy suppliers (which in effect are the oil rich nations and the large oil companies) would not want that to happen of course. That's the main reason we should never ever believe anything being told to discourage the use of the alternatives out there.

Edited March 22, 2011 by AgentSmith

[pepi2005]

So that means there is an unofficial plan?

Nuclear power plants in Thailand are a terrible threat for the public,

given the corruption and complete inability of the government to control

their own employees (military buys fake weapons and detection systems,

can't control its own arsenal, rampant graft everywhere, almost no public

service working without failure etc. ) - what in this country could prevent

a nuclear accident from happening right within the first 5 years of operation?

What could prevent any political group in this country from just passing

the police forces and taking over control of such a plant.

THE THOUGHT ALONE CAUSES NIGHTMARES!

I'm sure many foreign residents (the ones who can afford it) would leave Thailand as soon as they can, would such plans ever turn reality in today's Thailand.

[eagleflyinghigh]

I don't know is it funny or tragic, but 99.9% of electric sockets in Thailand are not ground and they are talking about nuclear power, haha!

It's tragic !

And yes, we could and should save about 30 % of energy by simply changing our lifestyle without being less happy.