PTT inks wind deal
Energy giant PTT has inked a deal with a Japanese company to begin studying the possible development of the Kingdom's first large wind-power project.
A memorandum of understanding was signed yesterday between PTT, Electricity Generating (Egco), Wind Energy Generating (Wegco) and the Japanese firm Eurus Energy Japan to conduct an 18-month study. Eurus is a leading Japanese wind-power generator belonging to the Eurus Energy Group, which is itself jointly owned by Tokyo Electric Power and the Toyota Group. In 1985, the company started developing a wind farm in the US, and its business has grown steadily with other projects in the UK, Spain and Italy. In Japan, Eurus successfully completed its first commercial project in 1999. Thai Energy Minister Piyasvasti Amranand said, "If successful, the project will help promote the efficient use of environmentally friendly resources and reduce fuel imports." "We have issued guidelines to help attract the private sector to the development of alternative fuels." The study, costing Bt1.8 billion, will look into developing a wind farm along Thailand's southern Gulf of Thailand coast, with the capacity to generate 30 megawatts of power.
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