Nuclear arguably the best option for Thailand: ADB
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Nuclear power could be considered the best option for Thailand, whose energy self-sufficiency rate is forecast to fall to just 20 per cent in the next 21 years, according to Asian Development Bank economists.
Minsoo Lee, who co-authored the book “Asia’s Energy Challenge: Key Issues and Policy Options” with his ADB colleagues Donghyun Park and Harry Saunders, said their study had found only three countries in Asia – Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan and Brunei – would be able to maintain their energy self-sufficiency in 2035.
Thailand’s energy self-sufficiency, meanwhile, will fall to one of the lowest levels in Asia, deteriorating from 62 per cent in 2010 to just 20 per cent in 2035, as the Kingdom will have to import more energy from abroad.
“Thailand is highly dependent on fossil-fuel imports. Its domestic energy sources are depleting, unless new resources are discovered,” he said.
Lee said that while clean coal was a good fuel option for Thailand, which must cut its high dependency on natural gas for electricity generation, the country’s higher sensitivity in regard to pollution and environmental issues would make it difficult for policy-makers to push ahead with coal-fired power projects.
“I understand policy-makers and people in Thailand care about pollution more seriously than other countries. So, if they choose coal, they might face strong resistance – and further political unrest is the last thing Thailand wants,” he added.
“Shale will be a game-changer [in the global energy scenario], and it would be easy for Thailand to replace natural-gas imports with shale. Another alternative, instead of waiting for shale, is nuclear,” he said.
Nuclear power could be a good alternative for Thailand since – despite the Fukushima disaster and the decisions by Japan and Germany to cease all new nuclear-power projects – power stations could be safely built and maintained with the currently available technologies, while emitting less pollution, said the economist.
The so-called “shale revolution” is shaking the world’s energy outlook, with record oil outputs from the US, coupled with poor economic data in Europe and Asia, having sent oil prices plummeting to a near four-year low.
The price of Brent crude, the global benchmark, fell by 29 per cent in less than four months, from US$115.71 (Bt3,773) a barrel on June 19 to $82.60 on October 16.
Park, meanwhile, said he was optimistic that the US would eventually share its shale-fracking technologies with China, which holds the largest shale reserves in the world, and that consequently the energy outlook for Asia would be changed for the better.
Nevertheless, he stressed policy-makers must not take a short-term view on energy issues and should continue to promote alternative and renewable energy.
