Power plan ready for submission soon
The NATIONAL Power Development Plan will be submitted to the National Energy Policy Committee on May 14, according to the permanent secretary of the Energy Ministry.
Areepong Bhoocha-oom said during the final public hearing session for the PDP-2015 that the ministry held public hearings in all four regions during the past six to seven months and would submit the plan to the supreme energy board on May 14 and to the Cabinet later.
Comments received from the public hearings included worries about excessive national power reserves, a need to make power purchase contracts more flexible and fair to the public sector, lack of trust in the state’s ability to implement energy conservation plans fully, and concern about the environmental impact of coal-fired power plants.
The PDP-2015 was drafted taking into account three major factors: power-supply security, appropriate cost of electricity, and environmental impact, he said.
The plan in essence involves cutting the use of natural gas for electricity generation from 64 per cent to 30-40 per cent of the total by 2036, while raising the coal proportion from 20 per cent to 20-25 per cent, and renewable energy from 8 per cent to 20 per cent during the same period.
The average power tariff during the next 20 years will be Bt4.587 per kilowatt-hour, rising by 1.8 per cent annually.
Boonyuen Siridhamma, chairperson of the Federation of Consumer Organisations, said there was a worry that excessive power reserves caused by a incorrect forecasts of electricity demand would create unnecessary costs for consumers, and those who made such errors should take responsibility for them.
She said the government should not only set the minimum power reserve requirement, currently 15 per cent, but also the maximum reserve level. The surplus reserve means an over-investment of more than Bt250 billion.
Itaboon Anwongsa, head of the Consumer Rights Protection Centre, said there should be an amendment of the rules governing power purchase contracts that the state signed with private companies to increase fairness and protect consumers. As things are now, the government is unable to postpone projects despite the surplus power reserves, especially in the case of Gulf JP’s 5,000-megawatt project.
