ERC to build power plants in communities lacking in basic needs
The Office of Energy Regulatory Commission of Thailand (ERC) is working on a project to supply provide electricity to communities in areas that lack basic infrastructure, expecting the first power plant to become operational in December.
ERC president Samerjai Suksumek said the ERC’s community power plant project is progressing on schedule.
“ERC is now conducting a survey on electricity usage nationwide,” he said. “We are planning to expand the service network to cover areas that suffer from unstable power supply or not having electricity at all, and to prepare the infrastructure for future demand.”
Samerjai further explained that the project will substantially help reduce the construction cost of transmission lines and towers for local power grid. “Furthermore, the project will promote the use of local biomass and biogas fuels as feed stock for power generation, creating additional income for local residents.”
According to the ERC president, the preliminary model for the plants will be based on a partnership between existing power plants and the private sector, community enterprises or cooperatives, all of which will assist in expansion plans and fundraising.
“As for the areas still lacking funding, ERC will use its energy conservation fund and electricity development fund to partly support the project in the initial phase,” said Samerjai.
“We expect to see the first operational community power plant within December. It should be able to support the community’s demand, and still have surplus electricity left for sale.”