Business operators prepare for gas supply disruption in Thai South

KRABI, THAILAND, June 11 (TNA) - Private business operators and public agencies are preparing themselves to cope with impacts from a gas supply suspension from the Thailand-Malaysia Joint Development Area (JDA) from June 13-July 10, 2014, including possible power blackouts in some periods. Hoteliers in Krabi Province, for instance, are building up stocks of petrol for their own electricity generators to be activated in case of possible blackouts during the 28-day gas supply suspension from the JDA-A18 well. The disruption will cause the Chana Power Plant in Songkhla Province's Chana District to stop its power production and power supply in southern Thailand will consequently drop by 700 megawatts. Power plant staffs in Krabi are, in the meantime, checking their equipment, as the local facility will use its full power generating capacity of 340 megawatts, up from its normal operation level of 170 megawatts. The provincial power plant has reserved 100,000 liters of fuel for its power production, which will additionally contribute to the southern power grid to reduce power blackout and brownout possibilities in the region. Meanwhile, Suchalee Sumamal, Deputy Director-General of the Thai Ministry of Energy's Energy Policy and Planning Office, told journalists that concerned authorities were scheduled to meet in Bangkok on Wednesday afternoon to discuss results of their public campaigns, aimed to save power consumption by 150-200 megawatts, namely encouraging local people and firms to turn off one lamp and an air-conditioner and increase their air-conditioning temperatures by one degree, to prevent blackouts in the Thai South during the 28-day halt of gas supply from the JDA-A18 well. The Thai South normally has a total power supply of 2,300 megawatts, including electricity supply supported by the central region, but its power demand is likely to peak at 2,450 megawatts from 6.30pm-10.30pm. (TNA)