Nukes Must Be Part Of Thailand's Energy Policy

[Chopperboy]

I have visions of Chalerm starting a nuclear waste disposal company and being paid billions to just dump spent fuel rods in some concrete shed in the middle of Issan.

Thais running nuclear - pleeasee be realistic..

[Cobalt60]

A little snippet from a sad case twelve years back

The causes and consequences of a Co-60 radiation accident in Samutprakarn Province, Thailand, were scrutinized to learn lessons aimed at preventing future radiation accidents. "Orphan sources" may end up in scrapyards. An out-of-use Co-60 medical teletherapy source, left unattended in a disused parking area belonging to a Medical Dealer, was stolen and sold to a scrap dealer in Samutprakarn Province at the end of January 2000. Because of its valuable appearance, a number of workers in the scrap trade who were not aware of radiation hazards managed to dismantle all parts. The Co-60 source was removed and left unshielded among pieces of scrap metal in the yard of the scrap shop. Some workers immediately became sick. Eighteen days later when they went to a local hospital their symptoms were recognized as radiation sickness and the incident was reported to the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace (OAEP) in Thailand. The unshielded source, with an estimated activity of 15.7 TBq (425 Ci), was retrieved soon after by an emergency team and placed in safe storage at the OAEP premises. Ten victims developed radiation sickness symptoms, of which three died soon after the accident. The accident alarmed the public, and has raised national concerns. The accident is similar in some ways to the 1987 radiation accident at Goiania, Brazil, involving a Cs-137 radiotherapy source. If not properly disposed of orphan radiation sources can lead to serious injury or even death. The accident highlights the need for security of spent high activity sources and the importance of regulatory controls.

Education, training and proper controls is all that is needed along with no greedy or corrupt people in the chain.

Edited October 10, 2012 by Cobalt60

[MunterHunter]

Education, training and proper controls is all that is needed along with no greedy or corrupt people in the chain.

Hence Thailand should abandon all aspirations for Nuclear power.

[RubbaJohnny]

This should increase nightlife.I for one will get little sleep if locals have to manage the safe disposal of radio nucleides that need thousands of years safety planning.

[samran]

I don't want to knock the Thais but their track record is very poor when it comes to maintenance and safety.

In comparision to what ?.....Japanese safey/maintenance, UK safety and maintenance, US safety and maintenance ?

To say something is poor you need to be comparing it something

How about building oil refineries in the capital city?

Like the kurnell refinery in Sydney?

[maidu]

nuclear in thailand, wow ... i did not see that one comming...

other countries are banning it, thailand will introduce it...

thailand has plenty of SUN for free

why not invest in a durable CLEAN(er) energy source ?

12 hours per day....

I guess toooooooooo easy

Your lack of knowledge is comprehensive. !2 hours/day is a monumental crock, as the best capacity factor of a solar plant (in a desert) is less than 25%. Lack of sunlight (night/clouds) is not the only factor as a fine dusting will reduce output considerably.

Solar is the best option for Thailand. Solar innovations are powering ahead, week by week. Efficiencies are improving, costs are going down. It's the wave of the future. Nuclear is not the way for Thailand, for a whole host of reasons, not least because when things go bad with nuclear, they go very bad, and that also translates to VERY EXPENSIVE.

I've used solar for 30 years and am using it now in northern Thailand. The only problem is getting panels stolen. Solar is excellent in full sun, of course, but works reasonably well in partial sun and wispy cloud cover. There are several plausible ways to store solar.

I also like thermal, methane, tide, and river energy. Indeed, just with river energy, nearly every community and wat located along a river in Thailand, could be run that way. Start-up costs would be low. Imagine the savings, if just 50% of riverside communities in Thailand were off the grid. EGAT would freak out, but so what.

Education, training and proper controls is all that is needed along with no greedy or corrupt people in the chain.

Hence Thailand should abandon all aspirations for Nuclear power.

[electau]

Capital cost and operating costs are based on comparison with a thermal coal or LNG fired plant (methane).

Nuclear reactors do not generate carbon dioxide when operating. LNG fired plant generate about 50% less carbon dioxide than thermal coal fired plant.

These are what are known as base load power and are available 24/7/365.

The so called "renewable energy" are hydroelectric, solar and wind generation.

Hydroelectric may be used for base power requirements or what is known as "peak lopping"

Solar may be PV or solar thermal ( to generate steam to drive a turbine)

Wind energy is used to drive an axial generator.

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

Electricity generation must be economically and financially viable

.

The nuclear industry has has a very good safety record over the last 60 years compared with the coal mining industry on a world wide basis.

Edited October 10, 2012 by electau

[Thaddeus]

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

What is the betting that they find one just before the fossil fuels run out?

[Guest]

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

What is the betting that they find one just before the fossil fuels run out?

They?

If someone makes an break through discovery how to store energy in easy, cheap and safe way.. that person / group would be billionaire. That would be a game changer, but it does not exist yet.

[Thai at Heart]

Capital cost and operating costs are based on comparison with a thermal coal or LNG fired plant (methane).

Nuclear reactors do not generate carbon dioxide when operating. LNG fired plant generate about 50% less carbon dioxide than thermal coal fired plant.

These are what are known as base load power and are available 24/7/365.

The so called "renewable energy" are hydroelectric, solar and wind generation.

Hydroelectric may be used for base power requirements or what is known as "peak lopping"

Solar may be PV or solar thermal ( to generate steam to drive a turbine)

Wind energy is used to drive an axial generator.

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

Electricity generation must be economically and financially viable

.

The nuclear industry has has a very good safety record over the last 60 years compared with the coal mining industry on a world wide basis.

A month or so ago Germany produced enough from solar to match 40 odd power stations from solar.

Problem is now they have to maximize transmission and managing peak loads. Thailand should press ahead with solar aggressively, but it isn't a one stop solution.

Without need for domestic heating and residences largely empty in day time, solar sold back to the grid in the day could be enormous. Problem is, every new house has 5 air conditioners on it, so night time demand and industrial development means they need a huge increase in night time capacity.

[Thaddeus]

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

What is the betting that they find one just before the fossil fuels run out?

They?

If someone makes an break through discovery how to store energy in easy, cheap and safe way.. that person / group would be billionaire. That would be a game changer, but it does not exist yet.

"The future is already here – it's just not evenly distributed."

William Gibson

[electau]

Hydrogen and Oxygen can be obtained by electrolysis, DC current though water. When burnt hydrogen forms water. No carbon dioxide, clean and green, may be liquified or compressed for transportation and use.

Solar during the day, hydrogen fuel at night.

Edited October 11, 2012 by electau

[OzMick]

Storage of wind and solar power as yet a economical method has not been found.

What is the betting that they find one just before the fossil fuels run out?

They?

If someone makes an break through discovery how to store energy in easy, cheap and safe way.. that person / group would be billionaire. That would be a game changer, but it does not exist yet.

There is a method using 2 dams. Water is pumped uphill, then released through a hydro when required. Not popular with some of course.

[easybullet3]

Thailand with nuclear energy would be like Homer Simpson running a nuke plant, hell they can't even lay a decent pavement or install safe electrical systems.

They are already running a nuclear reactor.. and manage to run chemical plants, oil refineries, car manufacturing plants, natural gas etc without too many problems,,,but I understand what your saying Thai's are only good for picking rice in the paddies...

I disagree with your sarcasm.

we know that thailand hosts many plants and industry. BUT, do we trust the 'corner-cutting' (cost-cutting) construction of such dangerous projects? when some executives realise they can install a cheaper electrical system and 'pocket' the remainder of the electrical budget, then you end up with a possible future danger. (you saw "The Towering Inferno", right?)

the condo I live in is an expensive central location,, and I see sooooooo many faults in design. cost cutting goes on everywhere. there is a wall cracking problem that gets worse every year in my building (and it was only built 6 years old)

look at the Airport... how much cost-cutting and pocketing money was done there? look at how many corrections they are having to do on a regular basis!

i agree with the original post. i would be worried for Thai people building a Nuclear power Plant. Maybe its ok for the first 7 years,,, but after that... its a worry!

[OzMick]

A little snippet from a sad case twelve years back

The causes and consequences of a Co-60 radiation accident in Samutprakarn Province, Thailand, were scrutinized to learn lessons aimed at preventing future radiation accidents. "Orphan sources" may end up in scrapyards. An out-of-use Co-60 medical teletherapy source, left unattended in a disused parking area belonging to a Medical Dealer, was stolen and sold to a scrap dealer in Samutprakarn Province at the end of January 2000. Because of its valuable appearance, a number of workers in the scrap trade who were not aware of radiation hazards managed to dismantle all parts. The Co-60 source was removed and left unshielded among pieces of scrap metal in the yard of the scrap shop. Some workers immediately became sick. Eighteen days later when they went to a local hospital their symptoms were recognized as radiation sickness and the incident was reported to the Office of Atomic Energy for Peace (OAEP) in Thailand. The unshielded source, with an estimated activity of 15.7 TBq (425 Ci), was retrieved soon after by an emergency team and placed in safe storage at the OAEP premises. Ten victims developed radiation sickness symptoms, of which three died soon after the accident. The accident alarmed the public, and has raised national concerns. The accident is similar in some ways to the 1987 radiation accident at Goiania, Brazil, involving a Cs-137 radiotherapy source. If not properly disposed of orphan radiation sources can lead to serious injury or even death. The accident highlights the need for security of spent high activity sources and the importance of regulatory controls.

Education, training and proper controls is all that is needed along with no greedy or corrupt people in the chain.

Thailand's answer to disposal of nuclear waste. Put it in a shiny container, leave it in the car park, and somebody will steal it.

[OzMick]

Solar is the best option for Thailand. Solar innovations are powering ahead, week by week. Efficiencies are improving, costs are going down. It's the wave of the future. Nuclear is not the way for Thailand, for a whole host of reasons, not least because when things go bad with nuclear, they go very bad, and that also translates to VERY EXPENSIVE.

I've used solar for 30 years and am using it now in northern Thailand. The only problem is getting panels stolen. Solar is excellent in full sun, of course, but works reasonably well in partial sun and wispy cloud cover. There are several plausible ways to store solar.

I also like thermal, methane, tide, and river energy. Indeed, just with river energy, nearly every community and wat located along a river in Thailand, could be run that way. Start-up costs would be low. Imagine the savings, if just 50% of riverside communities in Thailand were off the grid. EGAT would freak out, but so what.

Of the " several plausible ways to store solar" I am guessing you use lead/acid batteries which are limited in capacity and life, expensive, polluting and can be dangerous if not stored appropriately. If not, please enlighten me.

Some time back (admittedly) I was looking at buying a property off the grid and did extensive research into self generation using a range of methods including wind, solar and diesel generator as a base load. The biggest problem was refrigeration with its intermittent high demand. The long term cost analysis showed it was far cheaper to buy a more expensive property with power.

I again refer you to commercial installations being built in Oz. With the normal capacity factor, the output will be expensive, and that is without factoring maintenance and cleaning costs - the area is low rainfall to maximise sunlight, but is dusty which will limit output if not cleaned regularly.

[chooka]

Thailand with nuclear energy would be like Homer Simpson running a nuke plant, hell they can't even lay a decent pavement or install safe electrical systems.

Quite true. Has anyone ever noticed how when there is a slight breeze or a little rain the power always goes out (does in Chiangmai anyway). When they work out how to dig a trench and put the power underground instead of having all these extreemly dangerous wires hanging everywhere we may give nuclear power a moments thought. Our Village in Chiangmai is only 5 years old but they still go with the old dated technology of stringing a thousand wires from poles. They haven't even been able to work out how to have fresh drinking water on tap yet.

Learn to crawl before entering the olympics.

[dcutman]

Is there not 6 to 9 hydro electric dams proposed, in or very near (Cambodia) Thailand, why on earth would a nuclear option even be considered. If half of these are built there will be excess electricity available far into the future.