The US is to help Thailand develop nuclear power through a new class of small reactors, part of a program aimed at fighting climate change, the White House said in a statement on behalf of US Vice President Kamala Harris.
“The Vice President is launching a new clean energy partnership with Thailand to build capacity for the secure and safe deployment of advanced nuclear reactor technologies” to advance Thailand’s goal of net-zero emissions by 2065, the statement said.
The White House said the assistance was part of its Net Zero World Initiative, a project launched at last year’s Glasgow climate summit in which the US partners with the private sector and philanthropists to promote clean energy.
Photo: Bloomberg
Thailand does not have nuclear power, with public mood on the issue souring after the 2011 Fukushima disaster in Japan.
The White House said it would offer technical assistance to the Southeast Asian country to deploy the developing technology of small modular reactors, which are factory-built and portable. Such reactors are generally considered safer as they do not need human intervention to shut down in emergencies.
The statement said that US experts would work with Thailand on deploying the reactors, which would have the “highest standards of safety, security and nonproliferation,” and boast a smaller land footprint than alternatives.
China, Russia and Argentina are also developing small modular reactors, the prototypes of which are in the design phase.
The White House did not give a timeline, but said it would support Thailand, which is highly vulnerable to climate change, in its climate goals.
Harris discussed the nuclear power initiative in a meeting yesterday with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha.
The White House also announced an initiative with Thailand to boost the safety of fifth-generation Internet and a project to build a “world-class” cancer treatment centre in eastern Chonburi province.
Meanwhile, Thailand and Saudi Arabia signed a number of bilateral agreements to cooperate in sectors including energy and tourism, as the two countries gradually restore full diplomatic ties.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman, who was invited by Thailand as a special guest at the APEC economic leaders’ meeting, met Chan-ocha late on Friday to discuss ways to improve bilateral relations, a Thai government spokesman said.
The two countries signed an energy cooperation agreement, a memorandum of understanding to establish a Saudi-Thai Cooperation Council and another to promote tourism.
The nations also plan to explore ways to promote direct investments, the spokesman said.
Additional reporting by Bloomberg
‘CROSSING THE LINE’: China’s embassy in Seoul criticized US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson, asking if his ‘hostile’ remarks were authorized by Washington South Korea and the US are in talks over recent public remarks by the commander of US Forces Korea, Seoul’s presidential office said yesterday, after the comments drew sharp criticism from China. In a recent podcast interview, US Forces Korea Commander General Xavier Brunson described South Korea as “the dagger in the heart of Asia” from China’s east coast, prompting the Chinese embassy in Seoul to say that he had “truly crossed the line.” The interview came amid growing speculation that Washington might seek to expand the role of US Forces Korea in countering the growing regional influence of China, a key
Through the noise of rushing papers and whirring belts at a print factory in Kyoto, two creators watch their photo essay come to life in broadsheet form — part of an effort to win new audiences in the age of artificial intelligence (AI). Despite the decline of the publishing industry, self-publication and handmade “zine” magazines are growing in popularity in Japan, reflecting the nation’s enduring love of paper in the digital era. While speaking to Agence France-Presse at the plant, his hands black with ink, one of the creators, Kazuma Obara, said: “I think [paper] is a medium that engages all five
Australian researchers have trained lab-grown brain cells on a silicon computer chip to play the 1990s shooter game Doom and said they are just scratching the surface of what the neurons could be capable of doing. It is the science-fiction work of biotech boffins at Cortical Labs, who researched and developed the technology that harnesses the workings of the brain’s networking system. Each so-called “biological computer” contains about 200,000 living human brain cells, grown from stem cells that were harvested from blood donations. Having mastered the simple computer game Pong, where a paddle is moved up and down to send a ball
France experienced its hottest spring on record, the French weather service said on Tuesday, after an exceptional early heat wave that also broke highs for the season in England and Wales. Meteo-France said the average nationwide temperature over March to May was 13.8°C — about 1.7°C above the norm, and surpassing records set in 2011 and 2020. “The warmest spring since records began in 1900,” it said in a bulletin. All three months were warmer than average, but the onset of an “unprecedented heatwave” late last month pushed the mercury to highs typically seen at the height of the summer. “Our country had never
RSS