BANGKOK, 27 February 2013 The Thai National Shippers’ Council (TNSC) proposed nuclear power as an alternative energy solution to protect the country’s economy from future risk of power disruption.
TNSC chief Paiboon Polsuwanna said the construction of nuclear plants is a viable option to cope with energy demand during the peak of the hottest season in the country. He added that there has been resistance to nuclear energy after a nuclear disaster in 2011 at Japan’s Fukushima nuclear power plant. However, following Vietnam’s recently announced plans to build 5 nuclear plants, Thailand’s risk levels for a possible nuclear meltdown in close proximity to the country’s territory has already been heightened.
Mr Paiboon also criticized the government’s delayed decision to announce Myanmar’s anticipated routine maintenance on a gas platform during April 5-14. He remarked that urging industrial estates to cut back on power during the 10-day period is not a sustainable solution as a number of sectors such food-processing and frozen goods cannot halt operations for a long period of time.
Recently, the country’s Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn has targeted the development of more coal-fired power plants as a way to meet surging demand. He had also commented that renewables and nuclear power sources were generally too expensive.
