The White House indicated that this assistance is part of the “Net Zero World” initiative, a project launched last year during the Glasgow Climate Summit, in which Washington is establishing partnerships with the private sector and donors to promote the use of clean energy.
Thailand does not currently have any nuclear power sources, due to the concern raised after the Fukushima disaster in Japan in 2011.
The White House said it would provide technical support to the Southeast Asian country to use advanced small modular reactor technology, which is factory-fabricated and portable.
These reactors are generally considered safer because they do not require human intervention to shut them down in an emergency.
A statement issued by the White House said that the US experts would work with Thailand to deploy reactors “with the highest standards of safety, security and nuclear non-proliferation” with an area smaller than the area of conventional nuclear plants.
US rivals China and Russia, along with Argentina, are developing small modular reactors whose prototypes are still in the design stage.
The White House did not set a timetable for these actions, but stressed that it would support Thailand, which is highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, in achieving its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2065.
Harris visited Thailand as part of the Asia-Pacific Forum leaders’ summit, and discussed climate efforts in a meeting with Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha.
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