Thai authorities work out measures to cope with blackouts

BANGKOK, May 24 (TNA) - Thailand's Energy Regulatory Commission or ERC will convene electricity authorities on May 27 to work out measures in cases of brownouts and blackouts. ERC Secretary-General Ka-win Thang-su-pa-nich told reporters today (May 24) that the ERC will convene representatives of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand or EGAT, the Metropolitan Electricity Authority or MEA and the Provincial Electricity Authority or PEA next Monday to discuss measures to cope with brownouts and blackouts. Kawin acknowledged that the new measures are aimed to ensure energy security, after there were widespread brownouts and blackouts this year, including a massive outage in 14 southern Thai provinces earlier this week. The EGAT has explained that the overnight southern blackout, from Tuesday evening, was caused by the malfunction of high-voltage power transmission cables in Jom Bueng-Bang Saphan area used to transmit electricity from the central to the southern regions, and that the Thai South demands some 2,200 megawatts of electricity but local power plants can generate only 1,620 megawatts. Meanwhile, Energy Minister Pongsak Raktapongpaisal has ordered the ERC to conclude the line of command, which supervises the EGAT's National Control Center, so that it can make swift decisions on determining areas of brownouts and blackouts to limit affected areas as soon as possible, after the massive outage in the 14 southern provinces on the night of May 21. (TNA)