Alternative energy plan gathers pace

Energy Minister Wannarat Charnnukul yesterday said the action plan should be completed by the end of year, with the target to raise renewable energy from the current 6.4 per cent of energy consumption to 14.1 per cent in 2022.

Meanwhile, the alternative-energy ratio would be raised from 7.3 per cent to 20.3 per cent.

The master plan, covering 2008-22, was recently approved by the Cabinet.

"With clarity in the master and action plans, the Energy Ministry looks set to be the unit for promoting investor confidence. This should assist investors' decision-making," he said.

To achieve a sustainable reduction of fossil-fuel consumption, Wannarat said the ministry's work would be based on five major pillars: securing energy resources; putting renewable energy - ethanol-based oil, biodiesel, natural gas for vehicles, wind, solar, biomass and waste energy - on the national agenda; encouraging energy conservation; ensuring appropriate prices and energy stability; and preserving the environment amid energy development and consumption.

On renewable and alternative energy, the ministry will support investors with research papers, investment grants, low-interest loans, venture-capital funding and special "adder" tariffs.

"If things go as planned, this should attract investment of about Bt380 billion and create employment for about 40,000 people during the period," the minister said.

The investment would also save fuel imports worth Bt460 billion, and if there were revenue from carbon-credit trading, this would create an additional gain of Bt14 billion.

In total, it would reduce the need to construct conventional power plants with combined capacity of 3,000 megawatts, equal to a saving of Bt1 trillion, said Wannarat.

The ministry today will host an international conference on "Opportunities with Alternative Energy", at which local and foreign experts will share their views.

Wannarat will join energy specialists from Shell in London and the CLP Group Asia to speak at the conference, which will be attended by about 400 business leaders, policy-makers and academics.

The event, being held at the Intercontinental Hotel in Bangkok, is co-hosted by the Energy Ministry and the Energy Research Institute of Chulalongkorn University and co-sponsored by Banpu, Petro Green, Sammitr Green Power, Sharp and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand.

Twarath Sutabutr, director of the Energy Ministry's Policy and Strategy Coordination Office, said the recent low level of oil prices should not deter businesses from looking ahead.

"It's better to start thinking now than to react when oil prices go up again," Twarath said.

Among the topics up for discussion at the conference are the next generation of cars, wind and solar technologies and nuclear and synthetic fuel.

The international conference will pave the way for business leaders and policy-makers to frame future strategies and policies better, said Twarath, adding that while businesses looked for opportunities and cost competitiveness, it was the task of the government to secure sustainable plans.