US to help Thailand develop small nuclear reactors / Photo: Jack TAYLOR - POOL/AFP
-
'Star Trek', 'X-Men' star Patrick Stewart dead at 86
-
Kuwait traffic authority cautions against hazard lights while driving in rain
-
Canada buying stake in AI firm Cohere to bolster tech sovereignty
-
Utah files criminal charges against prediction market Kalshi
-
Grieving Spain demands answers for latest rail disaster
-
Kuwait National Guard official visits member injured during training
-
Qatar prime minister tours Cityscape Qatar 2026
-
CNN Global Perspectives prepares Doha debut with international speaker lineup
-
Jazeera Paints showcases housing solutions at Build Your House 2026 in Qatar
-
Es’hailSat and Arabsat agree broader satellite and broadcasting cooperation
-
Google drags down Wall Street stocks
-
ECB says has tools to calm markets as French debt worries rise
-
Does White House ask AI to shape policy? Democrats want the receipts
-
IMF says engaging with Iraq on preparing new bailout program
-
ECB holds rates steady after Lagarde says to quit early
-
US economy posts strong growth, inflation stubbornly high in challenge to Trump
-
ECB chief Lagarde to step down early, triggering succession race
-
French businessman takes over 2030 Winter Olympics amid leadership turmoil
-
VW says 'no time to lose' to slash costs after 5.8 billion euro loss
-
Stock markets diverge on corporate earnings, tech jitters
-
Oil majors reap bumper profits as Mideast war drives prices
-
TotalEnergies profit hits record on high oil prices
-
Taiwan says Pakistan briefly closed airspace to Taiwanese flights
-
Afghanistan opium poppy cultivation surges despite Taliban govt ban: UN
-
Samsung logs record quarterly profits despite investor AI jitters
-
Microsoft beats expectations fueled by Azure cloud business
-
Shares in Google owner Alphabet plummet on profit miss, ad slowdown
-
Shares in Google owner Alphabet sink on profit miss, ad slowdown
US to help Thailand develop small nuclear reactors
The United States will help Thailand develop nuclear power through a new class of small reactors, part of a programme aimed at fighting climate change, Vice President Kamala Harris announced on a visit Saturday.
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.
Thailand does not have nuclear power, with the 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.
"We really look forward to working with Thailand to take advantage of the benefits of small modular reactors and reliable clean energy sources," said a senior US official travelling with Harris, speaking on condition of anonymity.
A White House statement said that US experts would work with Thailand on deploying the reactors, which will have the "highest standards of safety, security and nonproliferation" and boast a smaller land footprint than alternatives.
US rivals China and Russia, as well as 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 goal of going carbon neutral by 2065.
Harris, who is visiting the US ally for an Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, will discuss the nuclear power initiative in a meeting later Saturday with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha.
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.
Ng.A.Adebayo--CPN
