Thai businessmen show strong interest in Philippines energy

Thai businessmen show strong interest in Philippines energy

During my trip to Bangkok last week, I had a chance to meet with some Thai
businessmen who seem to have a high level of interest in the Philippine
energy sector. Thanks to Ambassador Thanatip Upatising, and Rathanand
Vichaidit, first secretary of the Thai Embassy in Manila, the meetings they
helped arrange for me were quite fruitful and interesting, particularly with
potential investors who want to do business in the Philippines in the area
of renewables.

The Thai government has embarked on a 10-year alternative energy development
plan covering the period until 2021 to promote the use of alternative energy
by as much as 25 percent to lessen their dependence on imports, with focus
on solar, wind, hydro, biomass and geothermal power - energy sources that
are also available in the Philippines.

An interesting development in the Thai energy sector is "waste-from-energy"
production involving a "plasma gasification technology" where industrial and
agricultural wastewater can become a source of power by converting waste
into synthetic gas and electricity. A major energy company in Thailand has
recently partnered with a US-based company for a waste-to-energy project
that will first be conducted in Phetchaburi province.

It's a promising concept worth looking at because it has the potential not
only to provide energy at a reasonable price, but can also help solve the
problem of water pollution caused by industrial pollutants from
manufacturing companies especially in Metro Manila (not to mention the waste
coming from humans living along coastal areas).

In the Philippines, local power companies are also looking at renewable
energy, such as the Alsons Power Group - Mindanao's first and most
experienced independent power producer - that has set aside $650 million for
hydro and solar power projects within the next five years. I'm told the
company is looking at 180 megawatts of capacity from greenfield run-of-river
hydropower projects starting in Sarangani Province (15 megawatts), followed
by a 40-MW hydropower project in Negros Occidental, and two more expected to
be rolled out in the next few years. The company is also embarking on solar
projects to be located in General Santos City.

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Ref:
http://www.philstar.com/business/2016/09/13/1623062/thai-businessmen-show-st
rong-interest-phl-energy

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com