Gaining public acceptance will be key if the state opts to add nuclear to its clean energy arsenal
Clean energy campaigns are not only promoting solar, wind and biomass power in Thailand, but also prompting conversations about nuclear energy.
Considered a highly contentious energy source by some people, nuclear power technology was addressed by Dhanin Chearavanont, senior chairman of Charoen Pokphand Group, during a recent speech he delivered at the three-day World Chinese Entrepreneurs Convention in Bangkok, which ended on June 26.
Nuclear power offers the potential to strengthen Thailand’s economy because of its lower development costs than some other forms of clean energy. Yet much of society remains concerned about possible negative impacts from the segment.
Executives both in the power sector and outside it can see the benefits of nuclear power, but for most people the paramount issue is safety.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER
Educating people on nuclear technology is necessary if a new government wants to push ahead with nuclear power projects in a clean energy push, said Suvit Toraninpanich, chairman of the Renewable Energy Industry Club under the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI).
“All nuclear power issues must be linked to improving knowledge,” he said, referring to information regarding the benefits and safety issues concerning nuclear power.
Mr Suvit is aware nuclear energy development is highly contentious among some Thais, who are concerned about the negative impact of potential radioactive leaks and waste management, although this source of energy is cleaner than using fossil fuels.
If the government decides to add nuclear technology to the list of clean energy development projects over the long term, it must start educating the public right away, he said.
“Nuclear power topics should appear in children’s textbooks,” said Mr Suvit.
“Opposition to nuclear power projects should be based on knowledge, not rallies driven by emotions.”
There are many types of nuclear technology Thailand could choose to adopt.
He said the country might not want to develop a large conventional reactor, with electricity generation capacity of 700 megawatts, as is used in Japan. There are two alternatives: a small modular reactor (SMR), with a capacity of up to 300MW per module, and a micro modular reactor (MMR), with a maximum capacity of 10MW per module.
“One MMR equals 10 solar farms. But while solar farms generate electricity during the daytime, an MMR can produce electricity around the clock,” said Mr Suvit.
MMRs are widely used, particularly to fuel submarines.
In Thailand, the government set a target to have renewable energy make up 50% of fuels used for electricity generation in the country within two decades, up from 12% last year.
The FTI proposed the proportion of clean energy should increase to 80% of the total to support manufacturers that need to reduce carbon dioxide emissions during their production processes to maintain their exports in countries with campaigns aimed at combatting global warming.
Increasing the country’s supply of renewable energy would also help the government achieve its carbon neutrality target, he said.
At the 26th UN Climate Change Conference in Glasgow in 2021, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha vowed that Thailand would be more aggressive in addressing climate change and strive to reach carbon neutrality, a balance between carbon dioxide emissions and absorption, by 2050.
The government needs to come up with good management plans for renewable and cleaner forms of energy to keep its decarbonisation campaign on track, said Mr Suvit.
Not all factories can manage to install solar panels, which require 10,000 square metres to produce 1MW of electricity, because of limited space within their factory compounds, he said.
A law also prohibits factories from buying renewable power across provinces, thereby limiting its use, said Mr Suvit.
FRESH ATTEMPT
The country’s energy authorities again included a nuclear power plant project in the latest national power development plan (PDP), after previous attempts failed to lead to any progress in building up this source.
The PDP for 2023 to 2037 aims to better promote and support greater use of renewable forms of energy.
Under the PDP, the authorities plan to develop two nuclear power generation facilities with a combined capacity of 800MW.
They expect the plants to start operations towards the end of the plan, in either 2036 or 2037, said Wattanapong Kurovat, director-general of the Energy Policy and Planning Office.
The new government will be asked to endorse this latest PDP, and if approved, a public hearing on the plan would be held, he said.
Mr Wattanapong said SMRs are receiving greater interest from authorities in Europe and Japan amid campaigns to combat global warming, which is blamed for causing climate change.
Unlike fossil fuel-fired power plants that emit carbon dioxide, nuclear power reactors do not produce air pollution or carbon dioxide while operating.
According to the Washington, DC-based Nuclear Energy Institute, electricity generated by nuclear power prevents more than 470 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions per year from entering the earth’s atmosphere that would otherwise be generated through the use of fossil fuels. Some advocates suggest this is almost equivalent to taking 100 million passenger vehicles off the road.
SMRs, which produce one-third of the electricity generated by conventional nuclear power reactors, offer the potential to develop a cleaner form of energy.
Many SMRs can be produced in factories and transported to their destination by trucks or trains.
Images of a caesium-137 cylinder that went missing from a power plant in Prachin Buri earlier this year. Green Network Facebook Page
LONG HISTORY
Plans to develop a nuclear power plant in Thailand trace back to 1969 when the government agreed to build a plant in Chon Buri province.
The project faced several delays, including the global oil price crisis in 1974 that drove up costs, along with opposition from local officials.
Nuclear energy was mentioned in the 2010 PDP, as authorities proposed a nuclear power project with a total capacity of 2,000MW set to start operations in either 2020 or 2021.
However, the project was removed from the PDP in 2011 after the Fukushima incident when a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered nuclear reactor meltdowns and radiation leaks at Japan’s coastal nuclear facility in March of that year.
Ratchaburi Electricity Generating Plc, a subsidiary of the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), expressed an interest in investing in a nuclear power business overseas, but later decided to cancel the plan, according to media reports.
The company, which has since changed its name to Ratch Group, announced in January 2016 a joint venture with China General Nuclear Power Corporation and Guangxi Investment Group to develop Fangchenggang Nuclear Power Project Phase II in Guangxi, 45 kilometres from the Vietnamese border.
This facility falls within the large conventional reactor category.
Ratch was to inject 7.5 billion baht in capital through a subsidiary for a 10% shareholding, while China General Nuclear Power would have held a 51% stake and 39% would belong to Guangxi Investment Group.
The company was the first Thai firm to become involved with this form of technology, but it chose to exit the project after a few years without providing any reasons for the move.
The outlook for a nuclear energy policy in Thailand remains murky.
Echoing Mr Suvit’s view, Mr Wattanapong agrees that public acceptance of nuclear technology is the most important factor in the government’s nuclear ambitions.
Many people still have a negative perception of nuclear technology following the Fukushima incident and the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in the Soviet Union in 1986, he said.
A picture shows a caesium-137 cylinder which went missing from a power plant in Prachin Buri earlier this year. Prachin Buri Public Relations Facebook page
The authorities need to educate the public and show people how SMR technology is safe if they want to develop nuclear power plants, said Mr Wattanapong.
“Public education is the most crucial aspect for a nuclear power plan, and good preparation is needed if the new government agrees to adopt SMR technology,” he said.
Electricity Generating Plc (Egco), another subsidiary of Egat, plans to conduct a feasibility study on SMR technology after it successfully used refinery off-gas containing hydrogen to fuel electricity generation at its power plant in the US.
Nuclear and hydrogen energy have the potential to help countries achieve their net-zero targets, a balance between greenhouse gas emissions and absorption, said Egco president Thepparat Theppitak.
He said he believes the number of large conventional reactors in use will gradually be reduced and replaced by SMRs.
SAFETY FIRST
Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, said the issue requires thorough study, with Thailand delving into successful examples from countries that use nuclear energy.
“Thailand faces challenges in terms of energy costs in the short, medium and long term,” he said.
“Regarding nuclear energy, we need to review the benefits and safety of having nuclear power plants in the country. This includes evaluating factors such as site selection, technology and various impacts.”
According to Mr Sanan, in the short and medium term, Thailand is still capable of utilising other alternative and clean energy sources, as the country has made significant progress in these areas compared with neighbouring countries.
Thailand can continue to develop and increase the proportion of these energy sources used domestically, he said.
Chaichan Chareonsuk, chairman of the Thai National Shippers’ Council, said Thailand has power plants that generate electricity from various energy sources, such as water, dams, gas and coal.
These have been the country’s long-standing power sources, he said.
The issue with nuclear power plants is not solely technology nor production cost per unit, said Mr Chaichan.
“The main issue we should consider is public participation through hearings, providing people with knowledge and a better understanding. This issue is delicate as most Thais are rightly concerned about their safety,” he said.
“Safety codes in Thailand must be strict and more rigorous. For example, in everyday life safety measures such as wearing crash helmets and fastening seat belts are fundamental. We still have a long way to go in terms of safety awareness.”
Mr Chaichan said providing knowledge and raising awareness about safety is crucial.
Maintenance and repairs must adhere to standards, while employees performing such tasks should receive thorough training and be well-prepared, he said.
RADIATION FEARS
Two incidents in Thailand reflect the level of concern over the negative impacts of using radioactive materials, which could hinder plans to develop nuclear power generation facilities.
The first incident involved a missing caesium-137 cylinder from a power plant in Prachin Buri earlier this year. Its disappearance reflected alleged irregularities and dealt a blow to fruit sales in the eastern province.
Caesium-137 is used in a variety of equipment that measures dampness and density in construction work, liquid levels in pipes or tanks, and the thickness of many materials, including steel.
However, the isotope can be dangerous because it can cause cancer if the radioactive material is not managed properly.
Media crews reported a problem concerning caesium-137 at a National Power Plant 5A Co facility at 304 Industrial Park after a radioactive rod went missing from the company on Feb 23. However, a complaint was not lodged until March 10.
After searches took place over a number of days, the authorities found radiated red dust believed to have come from the remains of a caesium-137 tube at a steel smelter in Prachin Buri’s Kabin Buri district.
The authorities were later criticised for not removing the waste effectively.
The Office of Atoms for Peace argued that a plan to mitigate the fallout from the radioactive incident took longer than expected as the office had to take into account input from experts and local residents.
Choosing a site to store the radioactive material was not easy because of the risks involved and officials had to wait for the residual heat from the smelter’s furnace to cool down completely before they could move in and estimate the volume of radioactive dust present, said the office.
Penchom Saetang, director of Ecological Alert and Recovery, told reporters the explanations showed how unprepared the country is regarding radiation-related incidents.
One impact following the incident was consumers cancelled purchase orders for fruit from Prachin Buri, even though officials insisted no contamination was detected within a five-kilometre radius of the steel factory, according to media reports.
The other incident involved a protest by a civic group in 2019 against a government plan to build a nuclear research reactor in Nakhon Nayok’s Ongkharak district.
The 20MW reactor was meant to replace a small 58-year-old reactor in Bangkok.
Capt Vilas Obeouan, head of the civic group, told the media the plan to develop a new domestic reactor should be shelved, citing alleged irregularities and questions over safety measures, as well as the way the state agency managed radioactive waste.