New power plants likely to be delayed

The office's deputy director-general, Chavalit Pichalai, said an Energy Ministry committee tasked with drawing up the new national power-development plan is waiting for the National Economic and Social Development Board's 2009 and 2010 GDP forecasts, which will be released at the end of this year.

The committee needs the forecasts as a basis for drawing up the 2009 power development plan, which will be implemented from next year to 2024. The plan will replace the current one, which is a version of the revised 2007 plan. The new version was to cover the years 2008 to 2021.

Chavalit said that if the country records a negative GDP for this year, it is likely the 2009 plan would have to delay the establishment of the new power plants. The delay would help reduce the current electricity supply reserve, which accounts for 25 per cent of total supply.

Before the second revision of the 2007 power plan, the ministry's committee had already reached an agreement with three of four major IPPs to push back their schedules for beginning the sale of electricity to the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) by one more year from their original dates. The prices of the electricity to be purchased from them will remain unchanged.

The IPPs can afford to delay the plans, given that their Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) reports have yet to be approved by the National Environmental Board. The IPPs need EIA approval before starting plant construction.

The three IPPs are National Power Supply, with 540 megawatt capacity, Siam Energy, with 1,600 megawatt capacity, and Power Generation Supply with 1,600 megawatt capacity. According to the original schedules, National Power was to generate power for Egat from 2012-2013, while Siam Energy would begin producing electricity in 2012 and Power Generation in 2014.

The fourth IPP, Gheco-One, will not delay its plan to generate electricity from 2011, as it has already started building its plant.