1. © European Communities, 2007 Ponpiboon Satangput*, Nares Damrongchai and Chatri Sripaipan Introduction Currently, the growing demand of food and energy causes rapid change in societies and concern over energy security. In order to handle this subject properly, Thailands National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC) and National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) with the assistance of APEC Center for Technology Foresight conducted a research to study social, economic and environmental impacts to Thailand that could potentially caused by the countrys first nuclear power plant. The power demand of Thailand has been growing rapidly, but the energy resources used for power generation are limited. Thai government has been well aware of the problems. Recently, Thai government considered nuclear power to be an option for power generation and decided to conduct a feasibility study to build nuclear power plants in the country. However, if Thailand has the first nuclear power plant installed, many consequences to the country could be anticipated. It is realized that the governmental decision-makers and stakeholders will need to make certain pre-emptive decisions specifically to address these potential consequences. Results and policy impact/implications The study identified a list of emerging issues from now to the next fifty years, and some key policy recommendations to the government, for example: 1)Public acceptance; Public should be informed both positive and negative aspects of nuclear power. Information centre should be established to collect data and to report the situation to public, especially, when there is any nuclear incident. 2)Human resource development; 800-1000 well- trained staffs are required to support a 1000 MWe nuclear power plant. Candidates of high skill positions should have on the job training at countries with high experience in nuclear technology. HRD should continue, even when the Nuclear power program are delayed. 3)Technology localization and technology transfer; after the country commits to a long term nuclear program, the country should have technology localization policy to design the direction of domestic industries. Technology transfer should be included in the procurement contract. Contact Ponpiboon Satangput APEC Center for Technology Foresight Tel. +66 2 9448150 Fax +66 2 644 8191 E-mail: ponpiboon@nstda.or.th NOTES 1.Poster Title Replace the mock-up text of the poster title (Joint Research Centre) with the text of your own title. Keep the original font colour (100c 80m 0y 0k). Keep the flush-right justification. Set it in Helvetica Rounded Bold Condensed, if you own the typeface. Otherwise, in Arial, Helvetica or Verdana – plain or bold. Keep the original font body size (102 pt or, preferably,120 pt) and the title on a single line whenever possible. 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Place it elsewhere only if unavoidable for layout reasons, but in that case try, at least, to align it with some main element of the poster. 5.Additional Logos Should you need to display additional logos (e.g., of partner organizations or universities), reduce or enlarge them to a height within those of the JRC logo and the Directorate or Institute logo. Place any additional logos on the bottom of the poster, evenly spaced between the JRC and (if there is one) the Directorate or Institute logo, and vertically centred with them. 2008 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE Methodology After an extensive literature review and consulting leading national advisors in the topic, multiple rounds of group discussion were employed to identify social, economic and environmental impacts of nuclear power plant in different time frames. The study focused on three time frames of the nuclear power plant lifespan: the planning stage (0-3 years) construction stage (3-15 years) and operation stage (15-50 years). Local experts and stakeholders in this area were invited to participate in the group discussions to share their opinions including to develop policy recommendations to handle emerging issues during the next 50 years due to the possible installation and operation of the countrys first nuclear power plants. Conclusions It is a very challenging task for a country to have nuclear energy for the first time. It requires proper development in many aspects, for example, legal and regulatory system, industrial infrastructure commerce, technology development and transfer including HRD, Nuclear Safety and Environmental protection, public acceptance, etc. In order for Thailand to generate electricity using nuclear power; it is clearly not only the responsibility of government but very wide range stakeholders need to get involved. Currently, Nuclear Power Plant Development Office (NPPDO), of which some of the authors are also members, is developing policy strategies and action plans to handle the critical issues such as technology localization policy, public acceptance, HRD and other key issues. Many universities and nuclear related institutions are also studying the current status readiness of the country. Emerging Challenges for Thailand: THE COMING IMPACTS OF NUCLEAR POWER PLANT Acknowledgments The author would like to acknowledge Dr. Kopr Kritayakirana (Chair of Nuclear Power Infrastructure Preparation Committee, NPIPC, and senior adviser of NPPDO) and Mr. Pricha Karasuddhi (senior adviser of NPIPC and NPPDO) for all the advices. My gratitude is also given to all participants at the group discussions held under this research project for all the ideas and suggestions. This project is funded by Thailands National Economic and Social Advisory Council (NESAC).