BANGKOK, 31 May 2011 -Deputy Permanent Secretary for Energy, Dr. Kurujit Nakornthap said the nuclear power plant construction plan in Thailand would not be affected by the cancellation of the existing nuclear plants in Germany.
According to Mr. Kurujit, the decision to build a nuclear power plant is being decided independently in each country by its government and people. One’s decision to terminate the plan for the construction should not affect the decision in other nations.
Mr. Kurujit added that several countries have revised their nuclear energy plan given the situation in Japan. However, for emerging economies like China, 20 more nuclear plants are expected to be built in the future, adding to the already existing 10. Meanwhile, Vietnam is currently building 4 power plants with the technological supports from Japan and Russia.
The Deputy Permanent Secretary said his Ministry had emphasized on the importance of energy stability in the long term and had been trying to communicate with the Thai people the benefits of being able to produce nuclear energy in Thailand. He said that it caused less pollution compared to most energy sources. It will also prompt the electricity bill to be more inexpensive in the long run.
He said later however that, the Ministry of Energy could not go ahead with the plan unless there were laws and human resources to support the project. Mr. Kurujit said it should be supported continuously that when given the green light Thailand could start implementing the plan right away.
