The Secretary-General of the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) revealed that the Prime Minister called for discussions on several issues and urged the fast-tracking of large irrigation projects to be submitted to the Cabinet after they were stalled at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives. He dismissed claims that the construction of the Wang Tonod Reservoir was intended to supply water to data centers.
At 14:30 on 13 Aug 2026 at the Government House, Mr. Danucha Pichayanan, Secretary-General of the NESDC, gave an interview after meeting the Prime Minister at the Thai Khu Fah Building. He said the Prime Minister summoned him to discuss work matters, particularly the data center issue, with no discussions on U.S. tax negotiations. The talks covered the data center and two or three other topics.
When asked if new projects would be added toward the end of the Thai Ruam Thai Plus initiative, Mr. Danucha said this was among the matters the Prime Minister wanted him to help coordinate urgently, especially large irrigation projects like the East Chao Phraya, Chainat-Pasak, and Pasak-Gulf of Thailand projects. These aim to resolve long-term flood disasters. Both projects have passed NESDC board approval but are currently under review at the Ministry of Agriculture and Cooperatives before submission to the Cabinet. The Prime Minister asked him to help coordinate. Together, these two projects have a combined budget exceeding 200 billion baht, planned to be financed through loans from the World Bank or Asian Development Bank. Economic projects are overseen by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Mr. Akniti Nitithanprapas. The government must evaluate and prioritize important investment projects for expedited implementation.
Regarding opposition to the Wang Tonod Reservoir project in Chanthaburi province, Mr. Danucha said he had not discussed it directly but acknowledged both positive and negative aspects. He noted the need to consider mitigation measures and whether technical adjustments like reducing the reservoir’s area are possible, though he was unsure of the technical details. He confirmed social media claims linking the reservoir project to data centers are unfounded. However, he stressed that water management in the Eastern region is critical to connect multiple reservoirs to ensure sufficient water for agriculture, especially durian cultivation which has expanded due to high exports, as well as for industries and households. Besides data centers, the area hosts several important industries vital to the country. He emphasized balancing these needs carefully and firmly denied social media rumors that water would be diverted to data centers, expressing confusion over how such claims arose. He preferred not to criticize but urged careful consideration of such matters.