Clean coal-fired plants suggested for Thailand

Coal-fired power plants were forwarded as solutions to address Thailand's power woes. 

Thai energy minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisarn said there is no choice but to build more coal-fired power plants as the country needs an additional 25,000 megawatts of power to meet rising demand.

According to the Energy Policy and Planning Office, national power consumption stands at 31,500 MW a year.

The office expects consumption to reach 70,000 MW in 2030 based on average gross domestic product growth of 3.7 per cent.

Routine maintenance on a gas platform in Myanmar in April will lead to a drop in gas supplies to Thailand of 1.1 billion cubic feet per day, potentially creating a nationwide energy supply shortfall.

But Mr Pongsak said the country depends on natural gas for 70 percent of its electricity generation, which is risky.

"Few energy sources are cheaper than natural gas — nuclear, hydro or coal. The so-called soft, alternative fuels such as wind or solar energy have a high price tag of 10 baht per unit," Mr Pongsak said.

"Relying on these sources will add to the public's power bills while eroding the competitiveness of the industrial sector."

He said the ministry is looking to build a coal-fired power plant in the resort province of Krabi but has run into opposition from locals.

The minister added that technology has become better and cleaner and people should be made to understand this so they will accept coal-fuelled power plants more easily.

He said the government also plans to invest in energy production overseas and to import more electricity from Myanmar and Laos.

The new imports would cut the ratio of gas dependence to 50 percent of total energy generation.

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