webfact Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Thailand plans to increase coal use in power generation - minister By Florence Tan and Chayut Setboonsarng FILE photo * To find new coal-fired power plant locations end-2018 * Increase coal’s share in power generation to ensure security * Electricity from renewable to be priced at grid parity NEW DELHI/BANGKOK, April 12 (Reuters) - Thailand is expected to increase the share of electricity generated by coal to diversify its fuel mix for power generation, the country’s energy minister said. “The share of coal in our power generation mix is very low at slightly less than 20 percent,” Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan said on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum late on Wednesday. “We need to diversify the sources of fuel for our power generation. Having a reasonable percentage of coal to be used for power generation would be a necessity in considering the security of fuel supply to our generation system.” Thailand relies mainly on natural gas to generate power, but domestic demand is falling behind consumption, requiring the country to import more piped gas from Myanmar and more liquefied natural gas (LNG). A plan by the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) to build coal-fired power plants in the southern Thailand tourist destinations of Krabi and Songkhla has been delayed for years due to opposition from villagers and environmentalists. “We need to conduct a more global strategic environmental assessment to identify a more suitable location to build a coal-fired power plant that Thailand needs,” Siri said, adding that a decision on the plants’ locations could be made towards the end of this year. “In terms of contribution to carbon dioxide generation, Thailand can be considered as one of the lowest in the world,” Siri said. Thailand has promoted the use of renewable energy aggressively over the past 10 years, he said, adding that the share of electricity generation from renewables has reached around 12 percent, which is the highest rate among the countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. “But that achievement came at an expense as we’re paying a high rate for generation of electricity from renewable resources,” he said. Authorities increased retail electricity prices by 3.5 percent last year for the first time since 2014, citing rising oil and gas prices. Falling costs for solar panels has made the renewable resource competitive against fossil fuels. “We have proven in several pilot projects that we can expand on our success to promote more electricity generation from renewable resources at a price which we call grid parity at 8 cents (per kilowatt hour) on a wholesale basis.” Going forward, Siri said Thailand will only be accepting grid-parity prices of electricity generated from renewable sources. (Reporting by Florence Tan in NEW DELHI and Chayut Setboonsarng in BANGKOK; Additional reporting by Promit Mukherjee in NEW DELHI; Editing by Christian Schmollinger) -- © Copyright Reuters 2018-04-12 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotbeve Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 And what was it.... 2 years ago I believe, that there was to be an upsurge in solar power production. One of our land plots out in the sticks was earmarked for a 20 rai solar farm. 4verything was above board and paperwork was filled out, submitted, and stamped. Pre-approval was given and a downpayment was paid out. Then....... silence..... nothing but silence. The projects were shelved. No explanation - just shelved. Now??? Going back to coal... WTH???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 Coal? In a country that has 365 average sunshine- days a year?! Coal? So it's not only the stupid- "period costume"- craze...Thailand REALLY is walking backwards...if that is humanly possible! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfmuc Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 4 hours ago, scotbeve said: And what was it.... 2 years ago I believe, that there was to be an upsurge in solar power production. One of our land plots out in the sticks was earmarked for a 20 rai solar farm. 4verything was above board and paperwork was filled out, submitted, and stamped. Pre-approval was given and a downpayment was paid out. Then....... silence..... nothing but silence. The projects were shelved. No explanation - just shelved. Now??? Going back to coal... WTH???? Nobody will understand this!? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wolfmuc Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 4 hours ago, DM07 said: Coal? In a country that has 365 average sunshine- days a year?! Coal? So it's not only the stupid- "period costume"- craze...Thailand REALLY is walking backwards...if that is humanly possible! Almost nothing to add. I often wonder why there is such bad air near Lampang and near Mae Sot/Tak. OK, beside burning fields and trash, China-bad-air, air pollution done by the other neighbours and so on. - Lampang/Mae Mo, someone being interested might search on the net. Read - if you want - also about Mae Sot/Tak https://www.ceri-mines.org/documents/27symposium/papers/ma11-4suwannathong.pdf Here are some pictures. Mae Sot/Tak (2007) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Expatthailover Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 4 hours ago, DM07 said: Coal? In a country that has 365 average sunshine- days a year?! Coal? So it's not only the stupid- "period costume"- craze...Thailand REALLY is walking backwards...if that is humanly possible! The Australian govt is talking about developing more coal mines, building coal fired stations etc etc. Are they going backwards or us thailand an easy target? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DM07 Posted April 12, 2018 Share Posted April 12, 2018 4 minutes ago, Expatthailover said: The Australian govt is talking about developing more coal mines, building coal fired stations etc etc. Are they going backwards or us thailand an easy target? a) they are going backwards! b ) the subject here is THAILAND and not Australia or Takatukaland c) of course, there had to be one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yellowboat Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Sunshine does not grease palms. It just makes them sweaty. Governments say they want electric cars and solar energy, but they really don't, unless it is for military use. They prefer things they can tax or get a little something on the side. That is why voting is so important. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nobodysfriend Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 They think that coal is cheaper , but in the long run that is not true , The damage done by coal plants will create future problems that are not easy to repair ... even with a lot of money ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuaBS Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 No need for an increase of coal power , just shut down some Bangkok malls. Where does the coal come from to power southern Thailand tourist destinations of Krabi and Songkhla ? Import ? Why not import cleaner gas ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGW Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 18 minutes ago, BuaBS said: No need for an increase of coal power , just shut down some Bangkok malls. Where does the coal come from to power southern Thailand tourist destinations of Krabi and Songkhla ? Import ? Why not import cleaner gas ? Thailand has a lot of gas fields, the rest is imported from Myanmar - which explains the relationship with them! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
robertson468 Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 They want to start using coal fired power plants that will creat a great deal of pollution in a Country that has now just been declared No 1 World Pollutant. I do wish that the people responsible for making these decisions would think of the Country and the People that they are meant to be serving, instead of being the bunch of self-serving autocrats that they are. So, so sad, especially with the many hours of sunshine the Country experiences each year, which is tailor made for solar power. Unbelievable! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuaBS Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 3 hours ago, CGW said: Thailand has a lot of gas fields, the rest is imported from Myanmar - which explains the relationship with them! IF Thailand has lots of gas fields , why go for coal power ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
digger70 Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Built a few Nuclear Power plants Offshore,,,No problem with Cooling Water there,,,The only Problem maybe to get Decent Operators for the plants,,, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 21 hours ago, webfact said: In terms of contribution to carbon dioxide generation, Thailand can be considered as one of the lowest in the world,” Siri said. To much blah blah Siri..... this is why I have turned Siri off, on all my devices. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 24 minutes ago, BuaBS said: IF Thailand has lots of gas fields , why go for coal power ? Per the first half of the OP....... 21 hours ago, webfact said: NEW DELHI/BANGKOK, April 12 (Reuters) - Thailand is expected to increase the share of electricity generated by coal to diversify its fuel mix for power generation, the country’s energy minister said. “The share of coal in our power generation mix is very low at slightly less than 20 percent,” Energy Minister Siri Jirapongphan said on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum late on Wednesday. “We need to diversify the sources of fuel for our power generation. Having a reasonable percentage of coal to be used for power generation would be a necessity in considering the security of fuel supply to our generation system.” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
farcanell Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 15 hours ago, wolfmuc said: Nobody will understand this!? Perhaps..... although this is the clearly explained rationale... which is not to say that the rationale is correct, just explained as, it would appear, is the reasoning behind limiting expansion on the renewables front..... 21 hours ago, webfact said: But that achievement came at an expense as we’re paying a high rate for generation of electricity from renewable resources,” he said. “Going forward, Siri said Thailand will only be accepting grid-parity prices of electricity generated from renewable sources.” From OP Don worry.... In need.... australia exports both coal and LNG.... great trade partners... truly great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 3 hours ago, CGW said: Thailand has a lot of gas fields, the rest is imported from Myanmar - which explains the relationship with them! Thailand announced plans in 2016 to cut domestic gas production and import more low-cost spot LNG in an effort to conserve its waning reserves. It expects that Thailand's gas flows from fields in the gulf will last only into 2025. http://interfaxenergy.com/gasdaily/article/19546/thailand-looks-to-lng-as-production-cut-looms Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sawadee1947 Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 What a brainless so called minister. No words of solar energy... Somebody will earn a lot of money giving licenses to coal plants and others have to fill big brown envelopes.... So everybody will be happy but environment will suffer. Who cares? Who cares about people's health? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dap Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 GREEDY <deleted>'rs!!! Yesterday morning had a 269 AQI and today is another 158 with the safety level being 20 (50 in Thailand), as they persist in lying about NOT killing their own future generations. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 22 hours ago, webfact said: Thailand plans to increase coal use in power generation - minister The Ministry of Energy's 2015 Power Development Plan (PDP) projects that through 2036 Thailand will reduce use of lignite fuels but increase use of imported coal for a net 22% increase in millions of tons. On the other hand it will decrease use of natural gas by a net 28% in millions of tons. See Appendix 6 of the Plan. https://www.egat.co.th/en/images/about-egat/PDP2015_Eng.pdf http://www.kylesconverter.com/energy,-work,-and-heat/tons-of-coal-equivalent-to-cubic-feet-of-natural-gas http://www.kylesconverter.com/volume/cubic-feet-to-million-cubic-feet So there should be by 2036 a net 6% reduction in the use of fossil fuels (oil & diesel are insignificant) for power generation. As one ton of coal makes 2.86 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2 molecule is heavier than a carbon molecule), there should be a net reduction in CO2 emissions and not an increase. https://papundits.wordpress.com/2008/12/14/why-does-one-ton-of-coal-make-286-tons-of-carbon-dioxide/ However, the Plan projects about a 20% increase in CO2 emissions (thousands of tons) through 2036 (Appendix 7). So how to explain any claimed or implied reduction in CO2 emissions under the PDP 2015 plan? I believe it's that the PDP 2015 compares projected CO2 emissions targeted by the PDP 2010 Plan through 2030, then extrapolated comparisons through 2036 that results in what might be a reduction in CO2 emissions. Basically the PDP2015 Plan moved the "goal posts" for CO2 emissions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CGW Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 2 hours ago, Srikcir said: Thailand announced plans in 2016 to cut domestic gas production and import more low-cost spot LNG in an effort to conserve its waning reserves. It expects that Thailand's gas flows from fields in the gulf will last only into 2025. http://interfaxenergy.com/gasdaily/article/19546/thailand-looks-to-lng-as-production-cut-looms Gas is cheap & readily available! So that tells us there is more money to be made building antiquated, polluting coal fired power stations than there is trying to "skim" off gas imports! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 55 minutes ago, CGW said: Gas is cheap & readily available! And exporters relatively close by! Malaysia (#3), Indonesia (#5) and Australia (#2) A little further away: Russian (#7) and Qatar (#1) https://www.fool.com/investing/2017/08/23/the-worlds-8-largest-liquefied-natural-gas-exporte.aspx Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HiSoLowSoNoSo Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Hey MR minister you should build the coal fired power plants in Bangkok or in Chiang Mai, the air is already shitty there, nobody will notice anything and you don't need to install those expensive particle filters as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Srikcir Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 1 hour ago, HiSoLowSoNoSo said: MR minister you should build the coal fired power plants in Bangko Coal-fired power plants require a lot of cooling water (through heat transfers) so a plant on the Chao Phraya River maybe in the Bang Kobua area? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jenny2017 Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Thailand plans to increase coal use in power generation - minister Because solar energy wouldn't work in such a cold country. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaunduhpostman Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 The air is already severely polluted most of the year in much of Thailand. The pollution created by coal burning is very heavy. Thailand is already in range of many coal burning plants in China to recieve much polluted air that leads to cancers and shortened life spans for all. China has 2,700+ coal burning power plants with plans to build 1,000+ more. While Europe and America shut there's down, Europe has 400 of these plants. But same story as always, no doubt, a few people are going to be enriched by building coal based power generation plants. Nevermind that better alternatives are being developed and that we may soon see within our lifetime the release of exotic technologies that have been kept away from the public by the oil industry dependent powers that be. This is a huge mistake though one of only many crises Thailand is putting itself into because only short term financial gains ever matter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonmarleesco Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 On 4/12/2018 at 2:59 PM, webfact said: “In terms of contribution to carbon dioxide generation, Thailand can be considered as one of the lowest in the world,” Siri said. Doubtless that is guesswork, and I'm not going to check - though the hot air generated by the junta and Thai politicians gives the lie to such a claim. But given carbon monoxide, not dioxide, is the issue, together with the numerous particulates; worn out combustion engines and indiscriminate crop burning, together with current coal usage, among the main causes; he is either ignorant of facts (distinctly possible), or is hoping his audience is. Either way, he must be seeking the gold riband in pollution levels for LoS. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
holy cow cm Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 Great! Build one in Chiang Mai so they can honestly own the bad air prize of the world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blackcab Posted April 13, 2018 Share Posted April 13, 2018 On 12/04/2018 at 2:59 PM, webfact said: Thailand relies mainly on natural gas to generate power, but domestic demand supply is falling behind consumption, requiring the country to import more piped gas from Myanmar and more liquefied natural gas (LNG). Small difference... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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