BANGKOK, 23 March 2011 (NNT)-Energy Minister Dr. Wannarat Charnnukul has revealed during the opening of the energy meeting cooperation in the South East Asian region that the meeting is aimed at creating an energy cooperation network among ASEAN member nations, which include Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand, with South Korea being persuaded to join the network.
According to Dr. Wannarat, the energy cooperation will allow each member nation to rely on one another for energy resources when the other party is having a crisis. This method also applies to oil.
As for the nuclear power plant construction plan, the Energy Minister said the original plan was to build 5 reactors in the next five years but according to concerns over the radiation leakage in Japan, the plan might need to be revised.
A panel overseeing the nuke plan will study the pros and cons and if Thailand will able to find other alternatives to the nuclear power from its surrounding countries such as Laos.
Dr. Wannarat said, however, that relying on the neighbor’s energy resources will put Thailand at risks if there are conflicts between Thailand and the supplying nation. Therefore, Thailand needs to be independent in terms of energy consumption.
