Thailand Wants to Be Southeast Asia’s Power-Trading Middleman

By Randy Thanthong-Knight

 

Credit: Bloomberg

 

• The plan aims to balance regional power oversupply, shortage
• Infrastructure development funding in some countries a barrier

 

Thailand is jump starting a decades-old plan to create a Southeast Asia electricity super-grid, and wants to be the power-trading hub at the center of it.

 

The nation is set to triple the amount of electricity from Laos that it resells to Malaysia, while encouraging infrastructure upgrades stretching from Cambodia to Myanmar necessary for cross-border power trading, said Wattanapong Kurovat, director general of the country’s energy policy and planning office. The moves are part of Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong’s efforts to make Thailand’s power system cleaner, cheaper and more efficient.

 

The trade is simple, Wattanapong said. Thailand would buy more electricity for its own national grid from Laos, which generates more than it needs from dams along the Mekong River and its tributaries. It would then have excess power in its own national grid that it could sell into Malaysia, Cambodia or Myanmar.

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-08-25/thailand-wants-to-be-southeast-asia-s-power-trading-middleman

 

-- Bloomberg 2019-08-26

Another "hub" that the wheels will fall off of, just like all the other "hubs"

and I want to have powers similar to Superman.  It's fun to have goals.

3 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

Another "hub" that the wheels will fall off of, just like all the other "hubs"

When I was younger, the hubcaps fell off the wheels.

Stick to ST and soapies...

51 minutes ago, webfact said:

Thailand is jump starting a decades-old plan to create a Southeast Asia electricity super-grid, and wants to be the power-trading hub at the center of it.

Where I live we've had 74 power outages in six years - and counting.

Hubba hubba!

 

Edited August 26, 20196 yr by bluesofa
misprit

2 minutes ago, bluesofa said:

We I live we've had 74 power outages in six years - and counting.

Hubba hubba!

Where I live I'm pretty sure we had that many last month!

Just now, FarFlungFalang said:

Where I live I'm pretty sure we had that many last month!

Your electricity supply is even more part-time than ours!

They can't even supply a decent electrical infrastructure and supply in this country but they want to sell power to other countries.  Never think about spending money for the good of ALL who live here, only 'how can we make a quick buck by selling something'.   Typical Thailand !

55 minutes ago, Just1Voice said:

Another "hub" that the wheels will fall off of, just like all the other "hubs"

Well, Thailand is the geographical center of south east asia. So being a hub - for anything - makes sense.

5 minutes ago, trainman34014 said:

They can't even supply a decent electrical infrastructure and supply in this country but they want to sell power to other countries.  Never think about spending money for the good of ALL who live here, only 'how can we make a quick buck by selling something'.   Typical Thailand !

The truth is they have no power to sell. In times of shortage they buy it from Laos from the hydro dams constructed by the Chinese.

I think they are planning on trying at being an electricity broker and get commissions on the sale of power where they act as a mediary for buyers and sellers. 

The interesting question is where is Prayut going to get the power needed for his wondrous Eastern Economic Corridor? Wind/solar/battery power wont cut it for 24hr industrial use. 

I suppose the Laotians will cop the blame for lighting up the wrong ends of lampposts in future????

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The moves are part of Energy Minister Sontirat Sontijirawong’s efforts to make Thailand’s power system cleaner, cheaper and more efficient.

Yes, I understand!

 

Its a joke right? Small rain shower or breeze of wind and PEA's power is out for a few hours. This month have not had one day where we had power for all 24 hours.

let me guess and the on/off switch will be located in China?

You have to be a Mastermind first before you can become a Middleman

Edited August 26, 20196 yr by klauskunkel

Middleman = snout in trough.

2 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Where I live we've had 74 power outages in six years - and counting.

Hubba hubba!

 

Where I live , near Sawang Daen Din, we have between one and two power outage everyday ...

I'm living there since nearly 14 years ....

 

Last week a member of Parliament from our riding spoke about it in the House by specifying the village where we live; but I think the decision makers had to sleep because nothing has changed. ( and will change ) 

5 hours ago, bluesofa said:

Where I live we've had 74 power outages in six years - and counting.

Hubba hubba!

 

My Electric either  " blips " or cuts out nearly every day.

I think it's a super plan 

EGAT is gonna to need a whole lot more palm oil!

5 hours ago, Cadbury said:

The truth is they have no power to sell. In times of shortage they buy it from Laos from the hydro dams constructed by the Chinese.

I think they are planning on trying at being an electricity broker and get commissions on the sale of power where they act as a mediary for buyers and sellers. 

The interesting question is where is Prayut going to get the power needed for his wondrous Eastern Economic Corridor? Wind/solar/battery power wont cut it for 24hr industrial use. 

The only power Prayut has was art 44. He couldnt even use that sucessfully

I have seen wannabes, but not as grand as Thailand-

unfortunately it takes planning, work, perseverance, coordination, teamwork, knowledge, maintenance...

the make visions happen and be successful-I have not seen that-best to keep quiet until there is a real possibility of success.  We all know people that are always going to do this and that, so we expect nothing from them.  What exactly is the strategy here?

Always good ideas, but it tends to fall down in the detailed planning and execution phases. as well as on-going maintenance discipline.   

 

Still, at face value, not a bad idea to develop/enhance a source of income to plug the hole as the tourism trade is flagging.  Bit like Dubai building a fake tourist destination for when the oil money runs out.

They have a bit of skin in the pimping game so should be easy as for them