Bangkok: Mr. Surasak Pancharoenvorakul, Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), assigned Professor Dr. Supachai Patumnakul, Permanent Secretary of MHESI, to lead the Thai delegation, along with Associate Professor Dr. Thawatchai Onchan, Director of the National Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT), to attend the 2025 Ministerial Meeting of the Forum for Nuclear Cooperation in Asia (FNCA), a nuclear technology cooperation mechanism among 13 countries in the Asia-Pacific region, led by the Japanese government. This year's meeting covered progress in eight joint projects, including research reactor utilization, plant breeding, radiation use in industry and food, nuclear medicine, radiation safety, radioactive waste management, nuclear security, and forest soil carbon assessment to address climate change.
According to Thai News Agency, Thailand was honored to deliver a Lead Speech on the topic of 'Prospect of Nuclear Energy in Thailand: From Small Modular Reactors to Fusion Energy-Thailand's path to a clean energy of the future.' Assoc. Prof. Dr. Thawatchai Onchan presented the direction of Thailand's nuclear energy as a clean and stable base energy source, supporting the goals of Carbon Neutrality in 2050 and Net Zero in 2065. Thailand prioritizes two aspects of future technology: small nuclear reactors (SMRs) with passive safety systems included in the draft PDP 2024 plan, and fusion technology through research using the Thailand Tokamak-1 (TT-1) machine of NSTDA to lay the foundation for fusion personnel in the country.
The meeting also discussed shared regional challenges, such as public acceptance, human resource development, legislation, and modern safety frameworks, for which Thailand is ready to strengthen cooperation in all areas. Thailand's participation in this meeting reflects Thailand's role in the international nuclear arena and represents another important step in promoting clean energy for the future.
Following the FNCA 2025 Ministerial Meeting, representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI) and the National Institute of Nuclear Technology (NINT) traveled to Japan to study nuclear science and technology to exchange knowledge and modern technology that can be applied to develop Thailand's infrastructure. The study tour consisted of three important locations: Hitachi GE Nuclear Energy, a developer of next-generation reactor technologies including the BWRX-300 SMR; the Naka Institute for Fusion Science and Technology (QST), which developed the JT-60SA tokamak; and the Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA), where the delegation visited the upgraded 20-megawatt JRR-3 research reactor.
This study tour will help strengthen the cooperation network between Thailand and Japan and support the development of human resources, infrastructure, and knowledge in nuclear and fusion, which are crucial to driving Thailand towards a clean and secure energy system in the future.