Blackout casts a shadow over government's energy plans

They prompted public doubt over credibility of the Energy Ministry and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand – the two authorities tasked with a huge responsibility for securing the essential supply of electricity at the national level.

If we look ahead to mega projects on nationwide connectivity – which rely on high-speed public transport and huge infrastructure projects implemented via the Bt2 trillion in loans the government is hyping about – there is no guarantee of a long-term, adequate supply of electricity and energy to accommodate them, let alone a regular supply for household use.

The blackouts have cast doubt among Thai people, lessening their trust in the ministry and Egat – simply by questioning how the authorities let the blackouts occur through utter failure, despite seemingly credible claims by both who cited “outside, inevitable factors beyond their control” as excuses.

For Thailand, electricity from nuclear power plants has long been out of the question, because of strong and mainstream resistance, while coal-fired production, a cheap and practical way to generate electricity, is still a hotly debated topic because of major pollution and global warming concerns.

Alternative electricity from bio-fuel, solar, or wind-powered production would yield too little output and require long-term operations, with unattractive returns on investment to many private operators.

To rely on power purchased from neighbouring countries, Thailand’s dependence on this option is unsustainable, and the ever-possible shortage, temporary or permanent, could result in colossal damage.

The problem has never been explained by the government, or seriously questioned by the general public, who have been warned often by the Energy Ministry of future power shortages. The ministry regularly boasts its aim is to acquire an adequate supply, but it never comes up with concrete solutions. Considering it’s now a year and a half before the Asean Economic Community comes into being, it’s utterly impossible for the government to make a vow that will materialise, to make Thailand the centre of the AEC’s prosperity.

There are other examples of the Pheu Thai government's many incompetencies in the form of populist, non-transparent policies, which spend massive amounts of taxpayers’ money – including the unpopular rice-pledging project, or the Bt350-billion water and flood management scheme – which would incur a huge debt requiring a long-term repayment burden.

The Pheu Thai-led coalition inherits a self-styled management dictated by fugitive, de-facto government leader Thaksin Shinawatra, used successfully when adopted by the now-defunct Thai Rak Thai Party. If Thaksin was regarded the leader of Team A of the then Thai Rak Thai when he was Thailand’s 23rd prime minister, in terms of competence, his sister Yingluck is now only the leader of the present Team C, the Pheu Thai Party.

Thaksin is always bold when it comes to popularity-winning issues, especially among people with grievances. This was evident when, still in power, he visited a location in Prachuap Khiri Khan province where a coal-fired power plant was sited, and won over the locals when he told them the project would not continue. This quick-promise habit turned against him if his pledges weren’t honoured – such as the case of a dam in the Northeast where sluice-gates could not be permanently closed, as demanded by a group of protesters, despite his earlier promise.

And now that his sister runs the country, there is little assurance from her, or the government, about sustainable energy security – let alone detailed ideas on how to make it happen, a possible timeframe or proposal when moves may materialise. We just have her repeated remarks on “aiming to develop the country to accommodate the AEC.”