Thailand: Areepong insists power plants vital

Thailand: Areepong insists power plants vital

The construction of power plants in the South is still needed to ensure
power security in the region as power consumption is growing, the Ministry
of Energy says.

Permanent secretary Areepong Poocha-oom said the government plans to
increase renewable energy usage by 30% in 10 years, but it is important to
have balanced energy sources and they could come from oil, natural gas,
fossil fuels or clean energy sources such as wind and solar.

In the South alone, the region needs more power plants to ensure people do
not face power shortages in the future, said Mr Areepong.

He made his comments before a group of Thai journalists invited to the
two-day Gastech 2017 conference in Tokyo, Japan, which ended yesterday.
Gastech is the world's largest gas and LNG exhibition and conference.

The government has ordered plans for a coal-fired power plant in Krabi
province to be suspended due to fierce protests from activists.

The activists want the government to rely on renewable energy in the
province and fear a coal-fired plant will harm the environment.

Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has instructed the state-owned Electricity
Generating Authority of Thailand to redo the environment and health impact
assessment study before the project kicks off, which is expected to take at
least a year.

In another development, the Energy Ministry plans to host the Future Energy
Asia 2018 event at Bitec, Bangna from Dec 14-16, Mr Areepong said.

More than 2,500 participants are expected to attend as it is a big event for
the energy sector in sharing information and strengthening business
partnerships, he said.

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Link to Original Article:
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/general/1228272/areepong-insists-power-plant
s-vital

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John Diecker
APT Consulting Group Co., Ltd.

www.aptthailand.com