Thailand Is Studying Its First Nuclear Power Plant. The US Is Helping Make It Happen.

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THAILAND IS STUDYING ITS FIRST NUCLEAR POWER PLANT. THE US IS BACKING THE FEASIBILITY STUDY. SEVEN AMERICAN REACTOR COMPANIES ARE ON THE LIST.

The US Trade and Development Agency announced on September 14 that it has reached an agreement with Thailand's Electricity Generating Authority (EGAT) to support a preliminary feasibility study for the country's first nuclear power plant. The study will examine American small modular reactor technology capable of generating approximately 600 megawatts of electricity, enough to supply several hundred thousand households. It will assess potential locations, estimated costs and the regulatory framework Thailand would need before a nuclear plant could operate.

The study will remain neutral between technology developers and evaluate reactor designs from seven US companies: GE Hitachi, Holtec, Kairos Power, NuScale, TerraPower, Westinghouse and X-Energy. EGAT Governor Dr. Narin Phonvichai said the study would provide a foundation for Thailand to assess whether SMR technology could strengthen energy security while supporting a cleaner energy future. USTDA Deputy Director Thomas R. Hardy framed the agreement as part of broader US efforts to promote American nuclear innovation and strengthen energy security across the Indo-Pacific. The announcement arrives at a moment when Thailand's energy challenges are becoming harder to ignore: data centers are demanding more power, Bangkok has paused new data center licenses, 200,000 liters of illegal diesel were found at a Rama IX facility, and electricity demand continues rising alongside economic growth. Nuclear energy is not a quick fix. The study itself is just a feasibility assessment, not a construction plan. But the fact that Thailand and the United States are formally evaluating nuclear power for the first time tells you the conversation about where Thailand's electricity comes from in 2040 has started.

Bottom line: Thailand has never had a nuclear power plant. This study does not guarantee it will get one. But for the first time, the country is formally assessing whether nuclear belongs in the energy mix, with seven US reactor companies competing for the opportunity. The data center boom, the diesel scandal and rising demand have made the question harder to ignore. The study is the first attempt at an answer.

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Immigration officers arrested a Chinese national in Pattaya who had been living in Thailand for more than three decades. Investigators say he obtained and began using a fraudulent Thai identity card in 2001. He spoke Thai fluently and had integrated into the local community to the point where neighbors, acquaintances and even officials who interacted with him had no reason to question his identity. He was wanted by Interpol, and the arrest was coordinated between Thai immigration and international law enforcement after the Red Notice was flagged during a routine check.

More than 30 years in Thailand is not hiding. It is building a life. For about 25 of those years, the man was using a fraudulent Thai identity, allowing him to navigate daily life under someone else's identity. The case raises the same question that the 64 foreign children registered to a single flat in Din Daeng raised last month: how does the system that issues identity documents fail to detect a fraudulent identity for decades? The answer is that Thailand's identity infrastructure was not designed for the level of cross-checking that modern enforcement requires, which is why the PACC has been pushing to link immigration, hospital, banking and civil registration databases. A connected system could flag discrepancies between a person's foreign identity and their Thai records. A disconnected system can let someone live as someone else for years. He was caught now because those systems are finally starting to talk to each other.

Bottom line: More than 30 years living in Thailand. About 25 years using a fraudulent Thai identity. Fluent Thai. Undetected. The arrest is a success story for international cooperation. The decades before it are a failure story for identity verification. Both are true.

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Hotels and restaurants are NOT included in the foreign business license exemption. The FBA deregulation we covered last month removed approval requirements for selected telecom, finance and petroleum services. Many readers may have assumed the relaxation was broader. It is not. Hotels and restaurants still require full Foreign Business Act approval for foreign ownership. Anyone operating in hospitality through a nominee structure or gray-area arrangement is not protected by the new rules. If you own or co-own a hotel, restaurant, bar or guesthouse, the FBA still applies to you exactly as it did before the announcement.

Pattaya recorded four separate tourist robberies in a single day. A British man was injured fighting off phone robbers. A Russian man was attacked and robbed by three suspects. A Turkish tourist was attacked during a phone robbery attempt. And two Indian tourists alleged theft after encounters with local women. Four nationalities, four separate incidents, one day, one city. The concentration of crimes targeting tourists raises questions about whether Pattaya's security measures are keeping pace with the tourist volume the city is actively courting.

Foreign condo transfers in Thailand jumped 20% in Q2. Property market data shows foreign buyers increasing their activity in the Thai condo market even as the nominee crackdown intensifies around land and houses. The distinction matters: foreigners can legally own condos up to 49% of total units in a building without a Thai company structure. The 20% jump suggests foreign capital is moving toward the legal ownership channel as enforcement closes the illegal ones.

Airport Rail Link received a four-month operating extension without a government subsidy. The operator will continue running services while the government works on a permanent contract structure. For commuters who use the ARL to reach Suvarnabhumi, the practical effect is simple: the trains keep running. The policy effect is that the government still has not resolved who operates the line long-term.

🍸 SPOT OF THE DAY

DOOR NO.6 (SUKHUMVIT SOI 6)

Door No.6 is a speakeasy on Sukhumvit Soi 6 that takes the hidden bar concept and executes it with enough craft and storytelling that the word "speakeasy" actually means something here rather than just describing a bar with a hard-to-find entrance. Every cocktail on the menu has a story behind it, and the bartenders, particularly Akash and TC according to multiple reviewers, build each drink as a performance that connects the ingredients to the narrative. The space is intimate, the lighting is low and the atmosphere is the kind of intentional that tells you someone designed every detail rather than decorated a room.

The 4.9-star rating across 179 Google reviews at ฿200-1,000 is near-perfect at a volume that matters. "Honestly, one of the finest speakeasies I've been to. The concept of the drinks and the story behind every drink is phenomenal," one reviewer wrote. Another called it "a hidden speakeasy bar, perfect for cocktail chitchat with friends." A third described cocktails that were "amazing" with staff who were "so friendly and welcoming" and a speakeasy concept that was "done perfectly." Door No.6 closes at 2AM and is closed Mondays. The ฿200-1,000 range covers everything from a single cocktail to a full evening of the bartender's best work. The bar is not trying to be found by everyone. It is trying to be found by the right people.

→ See their menu and find them here ←

Insider tip: reserve via Nightify. Ask the bartender to tell you the story behind each drink. The experience is as much about the narrative as the liquid. Sukhumvit Soi 6, near BTS Nana. Look for the door.

📍 25/1 Sukhumvit 6 Alley, Khlong Toei, Bangkok 10110
📞 091 932 3663
🕐 Closed Mondays | Closes 2AM
⭐4.9 stars (179 Google reviews) | ฿200-1,000
🌐doorno6bkk.netlify.app

Always check opening times before heading out.

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