The Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC) of Thailand is set to commence evaluation of legal frameworks for a small modular reactor (SMR) project, aiming to integrate nuclear energy into the country's power generation strategy.

This decision comes amidst concerns over declining natural gas supplies and ongoing uncertainties in Thai-Cambodian negotiations over joint petroleum production in the overlapping claims area (OCA) in the Gulf of Thailand.

As Thailand adheres to its 2024 power development plan, emphasizing cleaner energy, two SMRs, each with a capacity of 300 megawatts, are planned for development by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat).

With the reduced natural gas supply, these reactors present an alternative with a longer service life and potentially decreasing costs.

Egat Governor Thapparat Theppitak has highlighted the potential of SMRs to revolutionize the energy sector despite current high development costs.

The ERC plans to collaborate with the Office for Atoms for Peace to establish necessary regulations for advancing nuclear projects.