Thailand To Delay Development Of Nuclear Power

[flamingdem]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704099704576288782682893862.html

By ORANAN PAWEEWUN

BANGKOK—Thailand will delay the commercial startup of five planned nuclear-power plants by three years because of safety concerns following the nuclear crisis in Japan.

Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul said Thailand will instead build three 800-megawatt combined-cycle power plants to offset the deferral of the nuclear plants under the country's long-term energy development plan.

Thailand had planned to start commercial operations of the first nuclear-power plant in 2020.

Mr. Wannarat said the decision by the National Energy Policy Council was due in part to recent comments from the International Atomic Energy Agency, which said that it didn't believe Thailand was ready for nuclear power.

The United Nations' nuclear watchdog raised issues including Thai laws and regulations, and the opposition of local people to the construction of nuclear-power plants. MORE AT LINK