Construction of new coal-fired power plants in Thai South delayed

BANGKOK, January 8 (TNA) - The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) reports that the construction and the operation of its two planned coal-fired power plants in the Thai South has been delayed pending necessary procedures. According to an EGAT press release, issued on January 7, a public forum will be held on January 28 at the Tambon Klong Khanan Administrative Organization head office, in which all stakeholders are welcome to participate, to listen to the public opinions on the construction of a new coal-fired power plant in Krabi. The EGAT said the public opinions gathered from the upcoming forum will be included in its environment and health impact assessment (EHIA) report legally-required before the construction of the new coal-fired Krabi Power Plant can be started. The EGAT report stated that the operation of the planned thermal Krabi Power Plant, which will resort to the environmental-friendly Pulverized Coal Combustion technology at a highly-efficient level, called the ultra supercritical grade, should be launched by 2026, an about seven-year delay from its earlier schedule, if the process on public forums is completed by September 2018 to enable the construction of the new coal-fired power plant in Krabi to get started over the next few years after the EHIA report is later approved by a panel of specialists, the National Environment Board (NEB) and the Thai Cabinet respectively. The EGAT report noted that the construction of the new coal-fired 800-megawatt Krabi Power Plant, which has been set by winning bidders at about 23 billion baht, has been delayed to comply with a last year-order of Thai Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-ocha on the re-start of public forums on the new coal-fired power plant following public protests against the project. For the construction of the coal-fired 2,000-megawatt Thepa Power Plant in Songkhla Province, the EGAT revealed that its operation is expected to be launched by 2025, about four years behind its earlier schedule pending the Cabinet's approval of its construction, after the construction of an associated coal port is officially endorsed similar to the earlier endorsement of its EHIA report. Meanwhile, EGAT has also reported that it has sought an official approval of the construction of power-grid systems, totally worth about 7.25 billion baht, from the Thai Ministry of Energy to cater for the new coal-fired power production projects in the Thai South over the next 4-8 years. (TNA)