The Nuclear Regulatory Commission and the Office of Atoms for Peace (OAP) of the Kingdom of Thailand held a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, from June 28 to 30, on best ways to regulate the location of nuclear power plants in that country. The OAP is Thailand's regulatory authority for the production and use of nuclear energy and radioactive materials. The workshop is part of NRC's partnership with countries considering new nuclear power plants. The goal of the program is to help participating countries develop sustainable regulatory infrastructures to protect the public and the environment. The workshop was attended by the staff of OAP, Thailand’s Electricity Generating Authority, and faculty members from the faculty of the nuclear engineering division of Chulalongkom University of Bangkok. Participants- including staff of the US Embassy in Bangkok- also discussed areas of potential cooperation. The OAP will use the results of this workshop while developing a regulatory framework for approving sites for the first commercial nuclear power plants in Thailand.
The NRC, which oversees 104 commercial nuclear power plants in the United States and thousands of radioactive materials users, has a long history of assisting countries with regulatory infrastructure development related to radioactive sources and nuclear power plants. In 2007, the NRC expanded assistance efforts to include support for countries considering new nuclear programs. ADSTM, Inc. assists the NRC in accomplishing this goal. The NRC has also worked closely with the International Atomic Energy Agency to emphasize the importance of creating strong, independent regulatory bodies before countries start any new nuclear power programs.