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Thailand’s EGAT approves 1,400-MW

gas power plant, replacing coal TPPs

THAILAND THE Thai government is set to approve plans to explain why we decided to scrap these two pro-
build a 1,400-MW gas-fired thermal power plant jects,” he said.
(TPP) in Surat Thani, replacing two highly con- The new gas-fired power plant is scheduled to
tentious coal-fired power plant projects in the become operational between 2027 and 2029, and
southern region. it will supply electricity to southern provinces,
The THB34bn ($1.03bn) facility, to be built said Boonyanit.
in Phunphin district, is expected to receive the It will ensure power security in the region
green light in the fourth quarter of 2021 by the where power demand is on the rise, but fossil
Energy Ministry, the National Energy Policy fuel supplied to existing power plants is limited.
Council and the Ministry of Natural Resources The gas-fired power generation project is
and Environment. part of EGAT’s five-year capital spending, worth
State-run Electricity Generating Authority of THB136.4bn, to develop power plants and a net-
Thailand (EGAT) is set to build the power sta- work of transmission lines until 2025.
tion, following its months-long feasibility study EGAT also plans to team up with national
of the project. oil and gas conglomerate PTT Plc to develop a
EGAT governor Boonyanit Wongrukmit liquefied natural gas (LNG) receiving terminal
said the project would replace controversial coal adjacent to the power plant, said Boonyanit.
power projects in Krabi and Songkhla’s Thepha The on-ground LNG receiving terminal will
district, which are expected to be shelved. replace a floating storage regasification unit
EGAT has confirmed it will abandon plans to (FSRU) in the Gulf of Thailand. The FSRU was
build the 870-MW Krabi coal-fired TPP and the primarily aimed at feeding gas to the new power
2,200-MW Thepa TPP, along with two associ- plant in Phunphin district.
ated coal import terminals. According to EGAT, the LNG receiving ter-
Both projects have been strongly resisted by minal will be able to store 3mn tonnes per year
the local communities for over a decade. (tpy) of LNG, lower than FSRU’s annual carrying
“We will communicate with local people to capacity of 5mn tpy for imported LNG.™

Week 30 28•July•2021 www. NEWSBASE .com P13