Thailand Turns to Renewables Amid Rising LNG Fears

Thailand's Energy Minister Akanat Promphan has announced plans to accelerate the rollout of renewable energy sources and embrace nuclear power for the first time, in an effort to reduce reliance on imported liquefied natural gas (LNG).

The Southeast Asian country relies heavily on natural gas for over 60% of its electricity generation and imports LNG from countries including Qatar. However, following the closure of the Strait of Hormuz due to the Middle East crisis, Thailand is looking to bolster its energy security and become less dependent on geopolitical energy supply issues.

Minister Promphan told Bloomberg that 'the ongoing conflict in the Middle East demonstrates that we must urgently reduce imports of LNG and other fuels.' He also stated that 'we need to build a cleaner and more self-reliant power system.'

The country will unveil an updated 25-year energy plan in October, which will include a target of generating 60% of its power from solar, wind, and hydropower by 2050 - double the previous goal. Thailand also plans to use small modular reactors (SMRs) for nuclear power.