PDP2026 Subcommittee Approves SMR Guidelines and Public Hearing

Matichon•Economy•5d ago

Reader Briefing

The PDP2026 Subcommittee has approved four power procurement scenarios featuring 9,000 MW of Small Modular Reactors (SMR) to achieve Net Zero by 2050.

•The PDP2026 Subcommittee, chaired by Thossaporn Sirisunthorn, approved four guidelines for new power generation.
•All four guidelines include approximately 9,000 MW of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) capacity.
•Public hearings for the plan are scheduled for early September, with National Energy Policy Council approval expected by the end of 2026.
•The plan aims to achieve Net Zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

Overview

•The PDP2026 Subcommittee approved four guidelines for procuring new electricity generation capacity to align with Net Zero goals for 2050.
•All four scenarios include approximately 9,000 MW of Small Modular Reactor (SMR) capacity and varying amounts of solar, wind, and Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
•Energy Minister Akanat Promphan will lead the opening of public hearings in early September.
•The National Energy Policy Council is expected to approve the plan by the end of 2026.
•Scenario 1 focuses on natural gas (24,500 MW) during the energy transition, while Scenario 2 integrates Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) costs.
•Scenario 3 prioritizes higher renewable energy (solar 61,300 MW, wind 52,700 MW) without CCS technology.
•Scenario 4 maximizes domestic resources by using natural gas from the Gulf of Thailand and imports from Myanmar combined with CCS and renewables.
•Areeporn Aswinpongpan of TDRI stated that PDP2026 is more comprehensive than PDP2024 because it utilizes multiple scenarios to balance energy security, cost, and environment.

Full article content is available on the original source.

Read on Matichon (Thai Version)View in Google Translate

Source: Matichon (Original)

Key Entities

Organization

PDP2026 Subcommittee(คณะอนุกรรการจัดทำร่างแผนพัฒนากำลังผลิตไฟฟ้า(พีดีพี) 2026)

The subcommittee responsible for drafting the 2026-2050 Power Development Plan.

Ministry of Energy(กระทรวงพลังงาน)ℹ️

The government ministry overseeing the energy sector and public hearings for the PDP2026.

National Energy Policy Council(คณะกรรมการนโยบายพลังงานแห่งชาติ)

The body expected to approve the PDP2026 plan by the end of 2026.

Thailand Development Research Institute(สถาบันวิจัยเพื่อการพัฒนาประเทศไทย)ℹ️

An organization (TDRI) where Areeporn Aswinpongpan serves as an energy policy scholar.

Person

Thossaporn Sirisunthorn(ทศพร ศิริสัมพันธ์)

The chairman of the PDP2026 Subcommittee.

Akanat Promphan(เอกนัฏ พร้อมพันธุ์)ℹ️

The Minister of Energy.

Areeporn Aswinpongpan(อารีพร อัศวินพงศ์พันธ์)

An energy policy scholar at TDRI who commented on the PDP2026 draft.

Place

Gulf of Thailand(อ่าวไทย)ℹ️

A source of natural gas for electricity production under the fourth PDP2026 scenario.

Myanmar(เมียนมา)ℹ️

A country from which natural gas is imported for electricity production under the fourth PDP2026 scenario.

Policy

Power Development Plan 2026(แผนพัฒนากำลังผลิตไฟฟ้า(พีดีพี) 2026)

The draft power development plan for 2026-2050 focusing on Net Zero goals and SMR technology.