Thailand: Egat to open bids on high voltage lines

Thailand: Egat to open bids on high voltage lines

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) plans to open
bidding this year on contracts for developing high-voltage transmission
lines (HVTL) with a capacity of 500 kilo-voltage worth 157 billion baht.

The bids are due to start this year for 55 contracts, with the rest opening
in 2018.

Egat deputy governor Kijja Sripatthangkura said the 55 contracts to open for
bids this year are worth roughly 60 million baht of investment budget.

He said the development of Egat's HVTL are to replace existing lines that
have been used for more than 40 years. Some of the bids are to develop
extension lines to help secure the country's power supply at a time when
demand is rising.

The bids will be open to all Thai and international companies.

The project to develop the HVTL is a part of Egat's total capital
expenditure of 600 billion baht over the next 10 years, Mr Kijja said.

Most of the HVTL to be bid are in the South and Northeast, especially the
former where growing tourism has increased power demand. The development of
two new coal-fired power plants in the South have been delayed for a few
years because of strong opposition from local villagers and environmental
activists.

He said most of the bids this year are to develop HVTL to transmit power
from the central region to the South, starting from Ratchaburi and ranging
to Prachuap Khiri Khan's Bang Saphan district.

Another grouping of HVTL from Bang Saphan to Surat Thani and Phuket will
develop new transmission lines to supply power to the South.

The HVTL to the South is worth 63.2 billion baht, spans 800 KM and is due to
start operation in 2019.

Mr Kijja said Egat also plans to develop a new HVTL extension to the deep
South, running from Surat Thani to Songkhla province, worth 35.4 billion
baht. That project is expected to receive cabinet approval by next month,
with bids open to develop it due in 2019.

Power demand in the deep South averages 5% annual growth in part because of
tourism around the Andaman Sea.

He said another project worth 94 billion baht is to develop 1,000km of HVTL
in the Northeast to secure the power supply in the region and prepare for
transmission of additional power from hydropower plants in Laos.

The new HVTL are also expected to help transmit power generated from new
renewable power projects in the Northeast, where several biomass, solar and
wind farm projects are due to be developed.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/business/news/1183361/egat-to-open-bids-on-high-v
oltage-lines

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com