Nuclear energy and hydrogen fuel will be included in the revised version of Thailand's power development plan (PDP), which emphasises more use of clean energy, says the Energy Policy and Planning Office (Eppo).
The move comes as power companies forge cooperation on clean energy development. Among them are a joint project between Global Power Synergy Plc (GPSC), the power generation arm of PTT Plc, and Denmark-based nuclear energy developer Seaborg Technologies, to study small modular reactor (SMR) technology.
SMR refers to a reactor with power generation capacity of up to 300 megawatts per module.
"Nuclear power plants could be a solution for increasing clean power in Thailand as the cost of power production per unit is quite low," said Veerapat Kiatfuengfoo, director-general of Eppo.
"Nuclear energy is clean and contributes to national power security due to the availability of uranium from many countries."
Distributors of uranium include Canada, France, the US, Uzbekistan and South Africa.
Under the new PDP, to be enforced between 2024 and 2037, SMR should be developed between 2036 and 2037, said Mr Veerapat.
The nuclear power plan is required to go through a public hearing because it is a very contentious issue in Thailand.
Nuclear energy was mentioned in the 2010 PDP, as the authorities proposed a nuclear power project with a total capacity of 2,000MW set to start operation 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 a nuclear reactor meltdown and radiation leak at Japan's coastal nuclear facility in March of that year.
According to GPSC, the study jointly conducted with Seaborg Technologies will take four years.
President and chief executive Worawat Pitayasiri said Seaborg Technologies is committed to delivering clean and safe power generation to address the increasing global demand for sustainable energy.
He said the collaboration focuses on the learning and exchange of technological knowledge, aimed at making an informed decision regarding a potential new SMR project in Thailand.
Under the 2024 PDP, the authorities plan to have electricity produced by hydrogen make up 5% of total power supply and increase to 20% between 2035 and 2037, said Mr Veerapat.
Blue hydrogen, which refers to natural gas-based hydrogen production with carbon capture and storage, will be used in the first phase.
The 2024 PDP is expected to be completed by the third quarter of this year.