'Krabi coal plant must be scrapped'; protesters call for fair review

There has also been an outcry over the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat)’s plan to launch the bidding before an environmental impact assessment (EIA) on the project has been completed. 

More than 100 members of the Protect Andaman from Coal Network marched to Government House yesterday to demand that the ongoing process, namely bids on building the Krabi power plant as well as EIA studies on the Klong Rua coal transport pier and the power plant, be scrapped. They also demanded that a new joint committee be set up with stakeholders from all sides to review the project.

National Legislative Assembly member Wallop Tangkananuluk met the protesters and promised to pass their demands on to Prayut. 

Meanwhile, Ban Thoung Prasan villagers in Krabi’s Nua Khlong sub-district claim they will be greatly affected by the project. 

Village chief Somsak Nobnorb said he and the villagers had come to Bangkok to ask the PM to consider their request because they would be hit hard by pollution from the plant. 

Somsak also pointed out that choosing a construction firm before the EIA was completed was ethically wrong and may even be illegal because it would affect the assessment process and pressure the Environmental Impact Evaluation Bureau into passing the report. And despite this, the EIA was faulty from the very start because it did not involve proper public participation.

“Locals were deprived at the public hearings. We only received the good side of the power plant from Egat, and they used money and other interests to sway locals for support. Therefore, EIA studies for both the coal-transport pier and the power plant are illegitimate,” he said.

“If the bidding is held, we will fight against it as hard as we can. We will continue campaigning alongside our brothers who have been on hunger strike for more than 10 days now,” the village chief added. 

The bidding for the plant’s construction was initially planned for tomorrow. 

Egat governor Sunchai Khamnunsaret said it was postponed because some bidders wanted more time to prepare their paperwork, not because of pressure from protesters. 

“It would be beneficial if there are several bidders, and the bidding process takes between four to five months,” Sunchai said. “This step [the bidding] will only speed up the procedure, and will not have any effect on the EIA not being passed.”

He said a builder for the project was being sought ahead of the EIA study because the authorities wanted to be sure the winning firm strictly complied with requirements. Also, he said, this would bring the EIA closer to reality. 

He said the bidding process would not affect the EIA, as it was not relevant to the examiners’ decision. He also insisted that the studies were transparent.

As for the call to scrap the Krabi plant, Prayut warned that if more power plants were not built in the next few years, the price of electricity would definitely rise as the country relied mainly on natural gas and oil to generate power. 

“I am asking everybody to understand [the need of having new power plants] and don’t make judgements on your own, as some [projects] cannot progress just because they were unable to pass public hearings,” Prayut said.

“If this keeps continuing, how will our country survive?”