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Published on August 29, 2007

Energy permanent secretary Pornchai Rujiprapha yesterday said Burma had approached the government about participating in the development project by offering its huge coal reserves of more than 200 million tonnes. It is expected the power plant could produce 1,400 megawatts of electricity.

The Burmese government also wants Thailand to invest in its coal-mining development. Thailand will buy electricity produced from the plant.

However, Egat will take time to consider both the volume and the quality of the coal, in order to ensure electricity supplies. In addition, it must conduct a survey to find a suitable location for setting up the power plant before making its final decision.

Egat governor Kraisri Karnasutra said an initial survey found there were many coal sources in Burma. The largest source is estimated to generate 1,400MG of electricity for 25 years.

However, any possible investment will come under its investment arm, Egat International.

"We've imported energy sources before from Burma like natural gas, and Thailand is a major energy-user, so Burma is interested in approaching us," he said.

So far, there are two developed coal mines in Burma that have a high investment potential for Thailand, with the two countries' coal reserves reaching more than 200 million tonnes and 100 million tonnes, respectively. The reserves will produce 1,400MW for 25 years and 700MW for 20 years, respectively.

The Nation