The state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) is partnering with Thailand Institute of Nuclear Technology (Tint) to construct a fusion reactor, the Bangkok Post reported on 25 April.
The prototype tokamak has an estimated development cost of THB500 million ($15.6m). Egat will provide a budget of THB230 million for research and development.
Patana Sangsriroujana, Egat's deputy governor of strategy, said the tokamak is expected to be ready in five years, the Bangkok Post reported. Both agencies want to complete the first step of plasma technology before testing further development of nuclear fusion technology in the coming years, it said.
Testing will be conducted in parallel with the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (ITER), under construction in France – a collaborative project involving China, India, Japan, South Korea, Russia, the USA and EU.
Tint expects to gain new benefits from plasma testing and nuclear fusion technology for Thailand's power and medical sectors, according to Pornthep Nisamaneephong, executive director of the institute.
