Thailand is preparing to enter the commercial nuclear era. The new Power Development Plan PDP2026, covering the period through 2050, includes small modular reactors (SMRs) across all four electricity supply scenarios developed by the plan’s drafting subcommittee. A common target runs through every scenario: 9,000 MW of installed SMR capacity by 2050, with the first 300 MW reactor connected to the national grid by 2037.
The most concrete step came on September 14, 2026, when Bangkok hosted the signing of an agreement between a U.S. federal agency and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) for a vendor-neutral feasibility study. The study will assess seven American SMR developers: GE-Hitachi, Holtec (SMR-300), Kairos Power, NuScale, TerraPower (Natrium), Westinghouse (AP300), and X-Energy (Xe-100). The designs under review range from pressurized light water reactors to fast sodium and high-temperature gas-cooled concepts, with a combined reference capacity of approximately 600 MWe. It is the most significant step Thailand has ever taken toward commercial nuclear power.
The institutional framework is moving forward in parallel. On September 8, 2026, the Nuclear Energy for Peace Commission approved a regulatory reference framework for SMRs, aligned with International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) standards. An IAEA assessment covering 19 areas of nuclear infrastructure found that Thailand is already prepared in ten of them, while six still require further development. The government has made clear that no final decision has been made on where to build a plant or which technology to adopt — but regulatory groundwork is already underway.
The energy plan is a direct response to rapidly expanding electricity demand. The growth of electric vehicles, the expansion of high-speed rail networks, and increased industrial activity are structurally reshaping energy consumption patterns. Peak demand is shifting toward evening hours, making non-dispatchable sources less suited to covering baseload needs. SMRs, with their continuous and modular generation capacity, are precisely tailored to address this gap. By 2050, modular reactors are expected to supply between 16% and 18% of total national electricity output.
The Bangkok government sees nuclear energy as a tool to reduce dependence on imported fuels, which exposes the country to international market volatility. The Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) and EGAT are working together on technology selection, potential sites, specialized workforce training, and public engagement. The PDP2026 will undergo public consultation before being submitted to the National Energy Policy Council by the end of 2026. If the timeline holds, Thailand could become the first Southeast Asian country to operate a next-generation commercial nuclear reactor — potentially opening the door to broader SMR deployment across the ASEAN region.
