Thailand SMR Nuclear Power Plan PDP 2026

Thansettakij•Economy•6d ago

Reader Briefing

The PDP 2026 draft plan incorporates Small Modular Reactors (SMR) as a stable baseload power source to replace fossil fuel plants.

•The Subcommittee for the Power Development Plan (PDP 2026) developed four electricity procurement options on August 17, 2026.
•All four options include SMRs, targeting a total capacity of approximately 9,000 megawatts by the end of the plan.
•The first 300-megawatt SMR is scheduled to enter the system in 2037.
•The draft plan aims to reduce fossil fuel reliance from 75% to between 11% and 35% by the end of the plan (2050) depending on the scenario.

•The Subcommittee for the Power Development Plan (PDP 2026) concluded four procurement options on August 17, 2026.
•Public hearings on the four electricity procurement options will be held in early September 2026.
•All four PDP 2026 scenarios target the first SMR to enter the system at 1% of total electricity generation (GWh) starting in 2037.
•The Base Case scenario projects SMR proportion increasing to 5% and then 18% by 2045 until the plan ends in 2050.
•SMRs are included to serve as a stable baseload clean energy source to replace retiring fossil fuel power plants.
•A 300-megawatt SMR scheduled for 2037 has no conclusion yet on whether the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) or private bidders will operate it.
•Assistant Professor Dr. Yanin Sukjai stated that the 2037 operational target may be too fast and has high uncertainty in practice.
•Assistant Professor Dr. Yanin Sukjai suggested the government establish a specific state agency for nuclear power development.

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Areeporn Assawinpongpan

"believe that PDP 2026 should be announced for use within the year 2026"

เชื่อว่า PDP 2026 น่าจะประกาศใข้ได้ภายในปี 2569

Subcommittee for the Power Development Plan (PDP 2026)(คณะอนุกรรมการจัดทำแผนพัฒนากำลังผลิตไฟฟ้า(PDP 2026))

The body that concluded four electricity procurement options on August 17, 2026.

National Energy Policy Council (NEPC)(คณะกรรมการนโยบายพลังงานแห่งชาติ (กพช.))

The body responsible for considering and approving the improved PDP 2026 proposals in late 2026.

Ministry of Energy(กระทรวงพลังงาน)ℹ️

The ministry from which sources revealed details of the four electricity procurement options.

Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT)(การไฟฟ้าฝ่ายผลิตแห่งประเทศไทย (กฟผ.))

A potential operator for the first 300-megawatt SMR power plant.

Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI)(สถาบันวิจัยเพื่อการพัฒนาประเทศไทย หรือทีดีอาร์ไอ (TDRI))

The research institute where Dr. Areeporn Assawinpongpan serves as an energy policy academic.

King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT)(มหาวิทยาลัยเทคโนโลยีพระจอมเกล้าธนบุรี (มจธ.))

The university where Assistant Professor Dr. Yanin Sukjai teaches in the Faculty of Engineering.

Dr. Areeporn Assawinpongpan(ดร. อารีพร อัศวินพงศ์พันธ์)

An energy policy academic at the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI).

Asst. Prof. Dr. Yanin Sukjai(ผศ.ดร.ญาณิน สุขใจ)

A nuclear engineering and energy systems expert and lecturer at King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi (KMUTT).

Power Development Plan (PDP 2026)(แผนพัฒนากำลังผลิตไฟฟ้า(PDP 2026))

The draft energy plan incorporating SMRs and targeting Net Zero by 2050.

Mae Moh Power Plant(โรงไฟฟ้าแม่เมาะ)

The only coal-fired power plant with a 600-megawatt capacity previously approved for the first 10 years of the plan.