Thai public urged to approve coal-fired power plants

BANGKOK, May 15 (TNA) - Energy Minister Arak Chonlatanon has urged the Thai public to approve coal-fired power plants, saying that they no longer harm the environment, thanks to modern technology which has reduced nitrogen-oxide emissions into the atmosphere. Arak affirmed during his trip to Australia this week that his ministry plans to import the modern technology to Thailand, as he would like to encourage raising the proportion of coal contributing to Thailand's power production to 50 per cent, from some 20 per cent currently, reasoning that coal is cheap compared to oil and natural gas due to its 200-year abundant reserves. To that end, the energy minister urged the Thai public to approve coal-fired power plants, explaining that in the past, two coal-fired power plants in the country had to switch to natural gas due to strong opposition by local people. On another matter, the Thai energy minister insisted that a recent incident in which a tanker carrying oil for PTT Public Company Limited (PTT), Thailand's largest petroleum firm, from Azerbaijan to Indonesia was captured by Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden has not affected security of Thailand's oil refinery sector, as the 900,000 barrel crude oil was destined for the Pertamina Oil Refinery in Indonesia, not Thailand, noting that all contracted international oil shipments are insured and there was not any Thai national on board the pirated tanker. (TNA)