US to help Thailand develop nuclear power as part of global clean energy initiative

The United States will help Thailand develop nuclear power through a new class of small reactors, part of a programme aimed at fighting climate change, Vice-President Kamala Harris announced on a visit Saturday.

The White House said the help was part of its Net Zero World Initiative, a project launched at last year’s Glasgow climate summit in which the United States partners with the private sector and philanthropists to promote clean energy.

Thailand does not have nuclear power, with the public mood on the issue souring after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.

The White House said it would offer technical help to the Southeast Asian country to deploy the developing technology of small modular reactors, which are factory-built and portable. Such reactors are generally considered safer as they do not need human intervention to shut down in emergencies.

A White House statement said that US experts would work with Thailand on deploying the reactors, which will have the “highest standards of safety, security and non-proliferation” and boast a smaller land footprint than traditional nuclear plants.

US rivals China and Russia, as well as Argentina, are also developing small modular reactors, the prototypes of which are in the design phase.