Thailand Backs Small Modular Reactors in 50,000MW Clean Energy Push
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Global Power Synergy Plc signed an agreement with South Korea’s Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power to evaluate small modular reactor technology as Thailand targets 50,000 megawatts of clean energy.
The pact covers potential investment, operations and maintenance for advanced units generating up to 300 megawatts each, roughly one-third the size of conventional nuclear plants.
Sirimet Leepagorn, president and acting chief operating officer of GPSC, said the power generation arm of PTT Plc is preparing for reactor development to cover long-term grid demand. The technology assessment aligns with Thailand’s 2026 Power Development Plan, which requires clean capacity to expand beyond 50,000 megawatts to reduce dependence on imported liquefied natural gas.
State agencies build nuclear partnerships
Thailand’s state utilities are testing multiple international designs rather than committing to a single vendor. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand, tasked with developing the country’s initial pilot project, recently signed a feasibility study agreement with the US Trade and Development Agency covering American reactor designs.
Egat also maintains a nuclear collaboration agreement signed with China National Nuclear Corporation in 2024, alongside a human resources and technology exchange pact signed with South Korea’s KHNP in June 2025. The Office of Atoms for Peace held separate discussions over the past two years with Chinese state affiliates regarding both land-based modular reactors and floating nuclear power units.
“The company signed a 2024 agreement with Denmark-based Seaborg Technologies, now operating as Saltfoss Energy, to study compact molten salt reactors deployed on floating power barges.”
Private capital eyes floating reactors
GPSC previously branched out into alternative compact cooling systems. The company signed a 2024 agreement with Denmark-based Seaborg Technologies, now operating as Saltfoss Energy, to study compact molten salt reactors deployed on floating power barges. Those units use liquid salt fuel instead of solid fuel rods and are built in commercial shipyards before towing to coastal industrial sites.
For heavy industrial power consumers and data centre operators across Southeast Asia, modular nuclear plants offer round-the-clock baseload electricity without carbon emissions or the land footprint demanded by solar farms. The economic viability hinges on capital expenditure per kilowatt, with commercial units still needing to prove cost parity against combined-cycle gas turbines running on regional fuel supplies.
Regulatory roadmap and local suppliers
Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation Minister Yodhachanat Wongsawas, who heads the Nuclear Energy for Peace Committee, confirmed the panel approved a regulatory structure based on International Atomic Energy Agency standards. The cabinet roadmap focuses on drafting statutory legislation, expanding engineering education, setting spent fuel storage policies, and qualifying domestic industrial suppliers for component manufacturing.
The policy push aims to shift Thailand from an equipment buyer into a regional service provider for specialized nuclear supply chains across Southeast Asia. Neighboring markets including Indonesia, the Philippines and Vietnam are assessing similar modular proposals to replace aging coal-fired fleets over the next decade.
What to watch in the development cycle
Regulators are drafting the statutory legislation required before state agencies can issue commercial site licenses or commission pilot reactor construction. Energy planners expect public hearings on the 2026 Power Development Plan and the pilot site selection study to determine the timeline for Thailand’s first operational reactor unit.
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