Suspend power plants: ccct

Sairung Thongplon, manager of CCCT, said at a seminar yesterday that under the Power Development Plan electricity demand is forecast to be 23,957 megawatts this year, while the actual consumption would be 22,568 megawatts. The difference of 1,389 megawatts is equivalent to two coal-fired power plants that require Bt160 billion in investment.

"Demand is not in line with the development plan as the economy is shrinking. The number of existing power plants can satisfy the demand. Why do consumers need to shoulder the extra cost? The new power plants must be stopped," she said.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand is in the process of signing agreements to buy power from two coal-fired plants and two naturalgas plants. With combined capacity of 4,400 megawatts, the four plants are part of the second round of independent power producer bidding.

Suppakit Nantaworakarn, a researcher at the Healthy Public Policy Foundation, added that the industrial sector consumes 72 per cent of power, though it accounts for only 8 per cent of power users. Whenever it needs additional power, the government builds new power plants. Once the economy slows down, the sector's consumption drops but it does not need to shoulder any cost from the construction of new power plants.

"Why must the public carry the added expenses?" he asked.

He suggested the government revise down the power forecasts and work further on promoting energysaving equipment.