Ministry targets cheaper electricity with ‘Energy for all’ policy

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Ministry targets cheaper electricity with ‘Energy for all’ policy

By The Nation

 

 

The Ministry of Energy aims to lower the electricity cost to less than Bt3.60 per unit, apart from carrying out several other initiatives, according to Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong .

 

Speaking at the “Energy Disruption: Thai energy in the age of disruption” seminar organised by Krungthep Turakij newspaper, Sontirat said there was a need to adapt to new technologies in the energy sector.

 

“In the past, we had fossil fuels and the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand [Egat] was the major producer of electricity,” he said. “But this is about to change due to the disruption that will create a new energy channel in the future.”

 

Sontirat said he had instructed the ministry to formulate an “Energy for all” policy that will support the public as well as raise the level of the country’s competitiveness.

 

“The main policy that will be driven next is ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ for affordable and clean energy, the latter leading to the creation of community energy grid modernisation, electricity sales platform, and in the future, the smart meter,” he said, adding that these technologies would be the game-changer in the future.

 

Sontirat said he had instructed the ministry to revise the Power Development Plan (PDP) for 2018-2037 by raising the proportion of renewable energy such as solar, biogas and biomass through community power plants.

 

“Electricity is not only for large corporations,” he said.

 

According to Sontirat, the heart of the success of community power plants is developing an energy storage system to keep excess power. Energy storage will also benefit the EV (electric vehicle) industry.

 

He said it was important that the development of energy storage systems and EVs in Thailand take the country into the new era of the automobile industry, otherwise there could be relocation of auto production to competing countries such as Indonesia.

 

EVs are also the answer to clean energy as they help lower fossil fuel usage (which contributes to increased particulate matter).

 

“With the disruption happening around the world, why must our PDP plan set the electricity cost at Bt3.60 per unit when in fact it should be cheaper due to the increased alternative energy, plus energy storage systems to help store excess electricity and lower costs?” Sontirat asked. “These new developments will be the new direction of the revised PDP. It will help raise the country’s competitiveness with lower energy prices, and becoming the energy sales centre in Asean is also an important part.”

 

The ministry will also deploy the Energy Conservation Fund to support the projects, and will support the energy storage business.

 

Meanwhile, Kulit Sombatsiri director-general of the Energy Ministry, said the ministry’s policy to tackle the disruption era comprises: digitalisation, decarbonisation, decentralisation, deregulation and electrification.

 

Kulit said power lines will be upgraded from 115kv to 500kv or 800kv in order to support alternative power and reach communities that produce them.

“The law governing Egat, which is currently able to only purchase electricity, should be amended so that it can also sell electricity and become a centre for regional electricity sales,” he said.

 

“Next week we will call on the working group to initiate a pilot project for the community power plants that are for personal use and for sale within the same area in a sandbox manner. We will be testing this new way of electricity trading and will get the results in three months,” he said, adding that if successful, the project will be presented to the Energy Policy and Planning Office.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30374280

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2019-08-06

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[leeneeds]

Will now you pay for power I put into the grid via our solar panels?

For myself I would up grade further the amount of power gifted at the moment if a small return was offered.

If solar can play any part to neutralise the reliance of hydro on the Mekong and the current erosion of the eco system, thus thwarting the Chinese and Laos plans to sell electricity to Thailand. 

[RichardColeman]

Would have said use Hydro power - but the electricity would be up and down like a whores draws at the mercy of the Chinese

[madmitch]

The onkly energy disruption I'm aware of are the power cuts and "brownouts" that still plague the system in Thailand.

[Cadbury]

4 hours ago, leeneeds said:

Will now you pay for power I put into the grid via our solar panels?

For myself I would up grade further the amount of power gifted at the moment if a small return was offered.

If solar can play any part to neutralise the reliance of hydro on the Mekong and the current erosion of the eco system, thus thwarting the Chinese and Laos plans to sell electricity to Thailand. 

I think you will find Thailand already buys power from Laos. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has signed power purchase agreements with Electric de Laos to buy electricity.

Thailand has trouble now meeting steadily rising demands for power. Wind and solar can't do the job that industry requires.

What will happen if Prayut's famous Eastern Economic Corridor ever gets up and running? He can't do it without more power from Laos. Looks like you will have to put up more panels.

[VocalNeal]

7 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

Wind and solar can't do the job that industry requires.

Yes. I will be impressed when I see a factory producing solar panels which itself is solely powered by electricity produced by said panels?

[mikebell]

Expect lots of sound bites as the new Ministers roll up their sleeves and do nothing but angle for their slice of the pie.

[worgeordie]

Fix the infrastructure first,so the electric does not go off,

if it rains or the wind blows a little,happening all the time

in the rainy season,well maybe not so much this year ,as

there has been little rain,Water shortage next ?....

regards worgeordie

[Banana7]

Natural gas turbines are best way to produce electricity, low cost, low carbon, high efficiency, and quickly variable to meet varying demands.

[leeneeds]

1 hour ago, Cadbury said:

I think you will find Thailand already buys power from Laos. The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand has signed power purchase agreements with Electric de Laos to buy electricity.

Thailand has trouble now meeting steadily rising demands for power. Wind and solar can't do the job that industry requires.

What will happen if Prayut's famous Eastern Economic Corridor ever gets up and running? He can't do it without more power from Laos. Looks like you will have to put up more panels.

I would gladly install more if an  incentive for all, was to be  implemented,

[Redline]

Where will the experts come from to preform these goals?  These new small power plants seem to be able to operate without controls on emissions.  Even in the Chiang Mai Provence, the electricity still goes off for hours for no apparent reason.  Seems whatever grid they have is a mess, and they should make sure everyone has stable power