Thailand to secure power supplies

BANGKOK, November 21 (TNA) - The Ministry of Energy will support the private sector to build power plants in neighboring countries to cut electricity costs and fees, as part of a Thai government on securing power supplies in the country, amid rising demand. During his special lecture on the future of electricity in Thailand at a seminar organized by the Economic Reporters Association in Bangkok on Wednesday, Thai Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal said that Thailand's power security now remains compromised as the peak demand for electricity has reached 26,700 megawatts so far this year; while the overall generating capacity has stood at 32,200 megawatts. As domestic power demand has been rising by 8.95 per cent, Pongsak cautioned that blackouts should be possible over the next two years and his ministry will, therefore, support Thai investors to build power plants on potential locations in neighboring countries to supply electricity to Thailand or sell it to other countries in order to cut electricity costs and fees. Pongsak acknowledged that he has also ordered the state-run Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to build coal-fired power plants in promising areas where local people cooperate, including the southern Krabi Province. Besides, the EGAT will build learning centers on electricity generation to convince the public of power production with green coal-fired plants. On the topic of the Thai energy industry's preparation for the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), Fiscal Policy Research Institute Deputy Director Pit Nitsamer noted that Thailand is buying electricity from Laos at a low price but when the development of transmission grids in the 10-member Associaton of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) is completed, neighboring Malaysia and Singapore will also buy electricity from Laos in competition with Thailand, which will further raise the regional power prices. Pit suggested that governments of several countries, thus, stop or reduce their subsidies on energy prices despite public opposition in order to save their money. (TNA)