EGAT:Blackout is unlikely during gas supply suspension in Thai South

BANGKOK, June 13 (TNA) - The state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) says it is unlikely that users in the Thai South will face any power blackout during the ongoing gas supply suspension from the Thailand-Malaysian Joint Development Area (JDA) in the Gulf of Thailand. EGAT Governor Soonchai Kumnoonsate and Deputy Governor Suthon Boonprasong insisted on Friday that EGAT and the Ministry of Energy have been fully prepared to cope with the temporary gas supply disruption from the JDA-A18 well for maintenance by PTT Public Company Limited (PTT) from June 13-July 10, 2014. The EGAT top executives said they believed that there would not be any power blackout during the 28-day gas disruption period. But the EGAT authorities called on all parties in the Thai South to help save their power consumption during the period, especially from 6pm–9:30pm, when power demand in the region normally reaches 2,450 megawatts, while the power supply during the 28-day period, including that provided by the central region and all operatiing power plants in the Thai South, will total about 2,300 megawatts. The EGAT authorities acknowledged that Malaysia recently agreed to sell about 150-300 megawatts of electricity per day to Thailand, which should meet the power demand in the southern region. EGAT, meanwhile, has opened its war room to monitor and work with command centres in Krabi and Trang Provinces in the Thai South through a video conference system during the 28-day gas supsension period. Chana Power Plant in Songkhla Province, the main power production facility in the Thai South, has completely stopped its electricity generating service since Friday morning due to gas supply disruption from the JDA-A18 well, causing power production capacity in 14 southern Thai provinces to have consequently fallen by 710 megawatts per day.(TNA)