People oppose coal-fired power plant in Thai South

BANGKOK, July 20 (TNA) - People who call themselves members of the Andaman Protection Network has written to Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha to oppose a coal-fired power plant project in Krabi Province in the Thai South. The group of people submitted their letter at Bangkok's Government House on Monday, as they fear that pollution from coal may be beyond control and have greatly negative impacts on local tourism. The group vowed to gather support nationwide if the government ignored its request. Earlier, Thai Energy Minister Narongchai Akrasanee insisted on the necessity of coal-fired power plants in Krabi and Thepha District in Songkhla Province to meet growing public demand for electricity in the Thai South. The state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) plans to implement the 800-megawatt coal-fired power project in Krabi simultaneously with its environmental and health impact assessment (EHIA), insisting that a closed system for coal transport should not have any negative impact on local tourism. EGAT Governor Soonchai Kumnoonsate told journalists, meanwhile, that the bidding contest for the coal-fired power plant in Krabi has been postponed from July 22 to August 5, 2015 because a Chinese bidder cannot make it within July 22 and EGAT sees more benefits from more contenders. (TNA)