Stop fidgeting about nuclear
The United Nations body charged with oversight of nuclear energy has given the government cover to continue to delay and obfuscate its lack of a real energy plan. The International Atomic Energy Agency commented briefly on Thailand last month, saying the country was lacking in two vital areas needed to start any serious move to building nuclear reactors to generate electricity. Governments have done a poor job in informing the country about the issue, and then done virtually nothing to set up clear laws and regulatory bodies, it said. The IAEA is right, but the government is seeking to cover its own errors by citing the UN group.
On Monday, the Energy Ministry breathed a sigh of figurative relief. Secretary-general Boonsong Kerdklang of the Energy Policy and Planning Office made a now-familiar proposal. The country should delay plans for the first two nuclear plants from 2020 to 2023. Mr Boonsong cited the IAEA's report as justification to postpone the nuclear issue for another three years _ when most of today's senior officials will likely not be around to make tough decisions.
Mr Boonsong could have been taking his cue directly from his Energy Minister Wannarat Channukul and from Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva. Both men, in recent weeks, have discovered that they are actually opposed to nuclear power for Thailand in the short term. For his part, Mr Abhisit revealed that he had decided to speak out on this matter because of the problems at the Fukushima reactor in Japan. Before that, the premier had played along with the policy of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand to build and turn on nuclear generators by 2020.
These leading voices know that the decision to ''go nuclear'' requires years to move from announcement to completion. They also know that the IAEA is entirely correct in its gentle criticism. Instead of making the decisions that spring from the brief UN recommendation, however, officials all the way to the top of the government are simply delaying. Mr Abhisit has said he will not propose nuclear energy as part of the government's policy _ but neither will he take the action necessary to reject the nuclear option.
It must be noted that the government has tried to have it both ways with the other main electricity generating issue as well. Ministers and officials alike want the credit for opposing the Xayaburi dam in Laos as a danger to the environment and downstream residents. They also want the credit for backing construction of the dam because it will bring more cheap energy to the country. Laos has stated that it will continue construction on the hydroelectric project. Vietnam and Cambodia have strongly and publicly opposed it. Mr Abhisit's government, by refusing to state its policy and preferences, has effectively supported the dam but without displaying the gumption to say so.
The nuclear issue is a politically charged one. To call it ''controversial'' would be an understatement. Nuclear power is clean, but even minor mishaps _ let alone the Fukushima-scale disasters _ cause major public fear. It is beyond doubt that successive Thai governments have ignored their responsibility to inform citizens about nuclear power. But it is doubtful whether education could ever convince the country to accept this technology.
Instead of pushing the decision another three years down the road, the prime minister must enunciate a clear energy policy. As oil prices rise, the band-aid solution of oil and gas subsidies cannot be sustained. The government needs to come to grips with the demand for energy, including electricity.
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