Japan to help Thailand develop its Nuclear Power Plants

By Shigeru Sato and Yuji Okada

Aug. 22 (Bloomberg) — Thailand has asked Japan to help build its first nuclear power plants as Southeast Asia’s second- biggest economy seeks to reduce reliance on gas, oil and coal.

Energy Minister of Thailand, Poonpirom Liptapanlop, has asked Japan’s Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry Toshihiro Nikai for reactor-operation expertise and advice on nuclear legislation and developing workers for the industry.

Thailand wants to build its first nuclear power plant so as to reduce its dependence on gas, oil and coal which serves more than 70 percent of its power needs. The country plans to complete a 2,000 megawatt-nuclear power station in 2020 and a further plant with the same capacity the following year. The two planned nuclear plants may generate 10 percent of the country’s electricity and for this they may require an investment of about $6 billion, the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand had said earlier.

On the other hand, Japan wants markets for its nuclear reactors and plant parts. Hitachi Ltd., the nation’s third-biggest builder of nuclear plants, and partner General Electric Co. have started informal talks with Thailand, Vietnam and other Southeast Asian nations to sell newly developed mid-sized reactors.