Thailand and the United States signed a preliminary feasibility-study agreement for small modular nuclear reactors (SMRs) at Gastech 2026 in Milan on September 14, 2026 — the strongest signal yet that Bangkok is preparing to add nuclear generation to a grid still dominated by natural gas and coal.
USTDA Funds The Study, EGAT Runs It
The memorandum was signed between the U.S. Trade and Development Agency (USTDA) and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT). USTDA will fund the feasibility work, while EGAT will lead the technical evaluation of potential SMR sites, licensing pathways and grid integration options. Thailand's National Energy Policy Council has already outlined near-term plans to add up to 600 MW of SMR capacity in its next power development plan.
Asian SMR Wave And AI Data Center Demand
The signing lands amid a wider SMR push across Asia and beyond driven by AI-data-center power demand. Amazon, Microsoft, Google and Meta have committed to more than 20 GW of nuclear power for hyperscaler workloads, and X-energy's Dow Seadrift project — the first industrial nuclear-heat build to be submitted to the U.S. NRC — is opening the industrial-process-heat market. Thailand's move follows similar SMR feasibility deals across Southeast Asia and complements the country's aggressive renewable expansion.
What Happens Next
The feasibility study will run for about 12 months and cover technology screening, site suitability, safety and regulatory analysis. It will inform EGAT's decision on whether to move to a request-for-proposal phase for SMR vendors. The agreement echoes recent U.S. Department of Energy SMR moves and follows the broader partnership stack this week that included the Toyota-Iveco hydrogen truck deal and Altera-Riverlane's quantum error-correction partnership.
Reporting based on coverage from Khaosod English, GlobeNewswire and Gastech 2026 announcements.