Thai electricity chief sees nuclear power necessary

The governor of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), Kraisri Karnasutra, said Sunday that nuclear power is necessary for the country since a possible shortage of natural gas to produce electricity may happen within the next three to four years. The EGAT chief admitted to concerns that the construction of a nuclear power plant in Thailand could spark future protests but insisted that the move was necessary. "We only have so much natural gas to produce electricity," he warned. "We have noticed that supplies have dwindled and natural gas supplies could run out within 3 or 4 years." "I guarantee that modern day technology will create a perfectly safe environment to accommodate the use of nuclear power in our country as it has already done so in other countries," Karasri was quoted by the Bangkok Post's webnews as saying. Thailand, which has no nuclear power reactor till now, is one of 77 countries exploring nuclear energy as an alternative source of energy.