Egat earmarks Bt668 bn for new power projects
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand plans to invest Bt668.3 billion between 2016 and 2020 to build new plants as well as upgrade the existing power grid to connect to new ordinary and renewable power plants, Egat governor Soonchai Kumnoonsate
The new power plants include the replacement of four generating units at Bang Pakong plant, the coal-fired power plant in Krabi and two more in Songkhla.
In 2016, Hongsa power plant’s third generator in Laos will commence operations.
“Our plan is to come up with the best commercial technology to enhance pollution-control efficiency to ensure good environment for communities,” he said.
The agency expects power consumption to peak at 28,470 megawatts during 2016 or an increase by 4.1 per cent from 2015. Meanwhile, power consumption as a whole is expected to increase by 3.1 per cent year on year, based on the 3.7-per-cent economic growth forecast by the Office of the National Economic and Social Development Board.
In 2015, 69 per cent of power consumed in the country was generated by natural gas, 20 per cent by coal, 8 per cent by hydropower, 2.4 per cent by renewable energy and 0.6 per cent by others. Though fuel prices remained low, the fuel tariff was cut by only 22.62 satang per unit because the baht weakened against the US dollar, Egat said, and because hydropower generation was low.
