The Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (TINT) has proposed a project to build a nuclear ‘research’ reactor in Ongkharak district of Nakhon Nayok province.
The TINT is working to conduct an environment and health impact assessment (EHIA).
The institute was reacting to a recent march against the project during which protesters demanded the project be scrapped, insisting the community’s health and environment would be under threat if the plan went ahead.
Hannarong Shamsub, TINT deputy director, said that public hearings, which are part of the EHIA, started last year and are expected to finish in the next few months.
He said that 90 percent of local people do not oppose the project because they understand that it is not a nuclear power reactor, but a nuclear research reactor.
The technology is crucial for the industrial sector as well as agriculture and public health, he stressed.
The reactor, which is estimated to cost 16 billion baht (525.6 million USD), will help Thailand save money spent importing radioactive products for cancer treatment.
As planned, the reactor will serve 28 hospitals across Thailand
