The Energy Ministry will on Monday present the National Energy Policy Council with nine power-generating alternatives under the power development plan for 2007-16, as concluded at a public hearing yesterday.

Also discussed during the public hearing was a proposal to collect contributions from old and new power plants for the development of communities located in their vicinity. The contributions would be collected as a special fund.

According to Energy Ministry deputy permanent secretary Norkhun Sithipong, new power plants which are under construction will be charged at least Bt30,000 per megawatt capacity per year until the day they start producing electricity. Then old and new plants will be charged one satang per unit per year for natural gas power plants, and 2.50 satang for coal-fired plants.

"We expect that the fund would collect Bt52 million to Bt130 million per year," he said.

Norkhun said that agencies at the hearing had proposed nine alternatives on the fuels Thailand should use for electricity generation during the 10-year period. The main fuels are natural gas, coal and nuclear power.

"Personally, I prefer a variety of fuels to ensure stability," he said.

The Energy Ministry in February scrapped a public hearing due to protests against coal-fired power plants by villagers from Prachuap Khiri Khan. The protests are believed to have influenced the ministry to propose the establishment of the community development fund, to soften the protests.

Norkhun added that if protests against coal-fired power plants were so strong that no new coal-fired power plants could be set up, Thailand would need to rely more on natural gas.

In that case, PTT would have to adjust its natural-gas import plan to bring in 10 million tonnes of liquefied natural gas instead of the previously planned 5 million tonnes.

PTT senior executive vice president Chitrapongse Kwangsukst-ith said at the hearing that PTT had estimated an annual 10-

per-cent growth rate for natural gas demand over the next five years.

As such, while demand is 3,300 million cubic feet per annum at present, it would grow to 5,000 million cubic feet in 2011.

Meanwhile, Energy Policy and Planning Office director-general Viraphol Jirapraditkul said nuclear power had been included in the power development plan

to encourage study and debate on its use.