Thailand’s reserve electricity capacity will fall to just 5.83 per cent in 2006 and 2.35 per cent in 2007 if three coal-fired power projects cannot be built on schedule, says the National Energy Policy Office (Nepo). The small reserve margins mean a high risk of power blackout, according to Chavalit Pichalai, director of Nepo’s power division. The standard power reserve rate is 25 per cent. Of the three coal-fired power projects, two – at Hin Krud and Bo Nok – are planned for Prachuap Khiri Khan province and the third for Rayong. The three facilities, producing 3 500 MW between them, are facing strong opposition from local communities and environmentalists.
Nepo’s case is based mainly on production costs and the need for fuel diversity in a country that is heavily reliant on natural gas. In April this year, electricity produced from coal-fired power plants was cheapest at Bt1.64 per kWh, compared to Bt1.73 per kWh from plants firing natural gas and Bt2.24 for oil-fired plants.
• A renowned marine biologist has called for a review of the environmental impact studies for the two coal-fired projects in Prachuap Khiri Khan. Thon Thamrongnavasawat of Kasetsart University said the flaws in the assessment, which has been approved, were too serious to overlook. He pointed to the presence of whales and dolphins, (both protected species) near the Bo Nok site, which was not mentioned in the EIA.
