Cost of extending PEA HV power line

[SunshineHarvey7]

I thought I had read on this forum that a person can contract with an independent contractor to run a high-voltage (HV) line and transformer, and then request PEA to connect it to the grid--and that contractors can be much less costly than PEA. Is that correct?

 

We wanted to know the cost of running a HV line about 1000 meters. This is to a rural property with 4 houses on it, which is currently served by an undersized wire from the village. So we asked PEA to come out and tell us what they can do for us. In the course of the conversation, they told us:

 

1) We are on a "public" (partly concrete, partly dirt) road. (This is true, although ours is the only residential property on the road.) Because it is a "public" road, they say no private contractor has the authority to install power polls and line. They claim that the former (Thai) owner installed our existing 220v line illegally.

 

2) They said that PEA estimates the cost of running a new HV line at 1,000,000 THB per kilometer. (That's what one guy said last Friday from the provencial office.) Then he told us we need to speak to someone from our district office for a more firm estimate.

 

3) The district guy came out today. He told us that since we do already have existing electrical service (220v, not HV), they will cover 50% of the cost to run the wire, but we will have to cover the full cost of the transformer and post(s) to hold it.

 

Has anyone here had any experience with a contractor extending a HV line along a public road? Or does the above info sound correct?

[Crossy]

No direct experience I'm afraid.

 

My understanding is that PEA have an "automatic" easement to install poles on public roads, so unless the contractor got an easement from the local authority your current supply is probably not 100% legal ???? 

 

Which end of the "illegal" section is your meter? If it's at the house end then one could say that the section has been "adopted" by PEA and is now legal (and their property).

 

For your HV, it could still be worth talking to a private contractor anyway, they might be cheaper and have the necessary connections in PEA to get everything done legally. It's also worth seeing if a contractor can supply a PEA approved transformer etc. and sort out the necessary paperwork.

 

In reality I suspect you are going to have to bite the financial bullet although you could be able to negotiate the price with PEA.

[SunshineHarvey7]

3 hours ago, Crossy said:

No direct experience I'm afraid.

 

My understanding is that PEA have an "automatic" easement to install poles on public roads, so unless the contractor got an easement from the local authority your current supply is probably not 100% legal ???? 

 

Which end of the "illegal" section is your meter? If it's at the house end then one could say that the section has been "adopted" by PEA and is now legal (and their property).

 

For your HV, it could still be worth talking to a private contractor anyway, they might be cheaper and have the necessary connections in PEA to get everything done legally. It's also worth seeing if a contractor can supply a PEA approved transformer etc. and sort out the necessary paperwork.

 

In reality I suspect you are going to have to bite the financial bullet although you could be able to negotiate the price with PEA.

 

We might try to talk to a local contractor, and I suppose it still might turn out to be a major discount. It's just hard to know how seriously to take PEA's claim that they have the exclusive right to install the HV line on our road. 

 

Frankly, all of these high prices are just pushing us toward a larger-scale solar system (with good warranties and service, since my friends don't have the time or experience to maintain a system). Even an expensive solar system looks like it could pay for itself almost immediately, if compared with other options to get reliable, consistent power. Either option may cost 500,000THB+, but at least the solar option would provide free power, and we'd continue paying PEA.

[Crossy]

Sticking with the PEA supply you have as a backup and adding a large off-grid hybrid solar could well be the way to go.

 

As noted earlier, I'm pretty sure PEA have an automatic easement for public roads, I don't know for sure if they have exclusive access to that space.

 

[Muhendis]

The route we had to go in similar circumstances was via a local government office who would install our supply free providing there were at least 5 houses that needed a supply (That later changed to 6). We had to wait 7 years for the supply but running from 8kw solar and/or a 1km run of 25mm^2 from our meter in the village through the trees we had sufficient power for our needs.

[GreasyFingers]

15 hours ago, Crossy said:

As noted earlier, I'm pretty sure PEA have an automatic easement for public roads, I don't know for sure if they have exclusive access to that space.

Not part of the topic but you brought something up that I have been curious about. The PEA main lines have poles on our property but no easement noted on the title. Would there also be an automatic easement on private property.

[ifmu]

16 hours ago, SunshineHarvey7 said:

 

We might try to talk to a local contractor, and I suppose it still might turn out to be a major discount. It's just hard to know how seriously to take PEA's claim that they have the exclusive right to install the HV line on our road. 

 

Frankly, all of these high prices are just pushing us toward a larger-scale solar system (with good warranties and service, since my friends don't have the time or experience to maintain a system). Even an expensive solar system looks like it could pay for itself almost immediately, if compared with other options to get reliable, consistent power. Either option may cost 500,000THB+, but at least the solar option would provide free power, and we'd continue paying PEA.

good for you ...  solar freak here ...    .. also pea does not have infrastructure for power

[LukKrueng]

1 hour ago, GreasyFingers said:

Not part of the topic but you brought something up that I have been curious about. The PEA main lines have poles on our property but no easement noted on the title. Would there also be an automatic easement on private property.

About 7 years ago I checked with PEA possibility and costs to extend a power line form the nearest point to a property I was considering to buy. Cost suggested at about 1m per a Km (was about 1.3Km and they said a rough estimate would be 1.3m THB including posts, wires and transformer). But they said they'd have to come survey the place first in order to be sure the 1.3Km is all on public land as they are not allowed to go on private land.

[Sydebolle]

Wanted to hook up 380V/3P which would have required 80 metres of cable extension and a small 50kVa transformer. 
The PEA came to check/estimate (the survey was THB 5'350 against official receipt and done within 3 minutes); the quotation was around THB 350'000. 

We did NOT opt for that version but run a mix of solar panels and the normal 30/100 hook-up on 220V/1P. 

[spidermike007]

We were told that to run a line from the junction box in the village, up our dirt road a distance of about 1.3km., it would be about 1,100,000 baht with the transformer, and concrete posts, with all the work done by the PEA. After further discussion, they said they would pick up half the cost, in the hopes of bringing on board several other farmers who own land between us and the road. There is only one small home on the road, and he uses pirated power. 

 

Looked into solar, and it seems highly impractical, and very expensive, as we will need power for at least two houses, one or two bungalows, etc. So, four to six AC units, several refrigerators, water pumps, washing machines, etc, etc. 

 

Any further information or alternative ideas, would be appreciated. 

[farmerjo]

If you have stable 220 volts from their last transformer to your meter and it's voltage drop on the line 2 x transformers may be the cheapest way.

1 x step up transformer at your meter.

1 x step down transformer at the houses.

http://www.cbcinter.co.th/full-intelligent-transmission-system/

[GreasyFingers]

7 hours ago, LukKrueng said:

About 7 years ago I checked with PEA possibility and costs to extend a power line form the nearest point to a property I was considering to buy. Cost suggested at about 1m per a Km (was about 1.3Km and they said a rough estimate would be 1.3m THB including posts, wires and transformer). But they said they'd have to come survey the place first in order to be sure the 1.3Km is all on public land as they are not allowed to go on private land.

So different areas different rules. The poles and lines were there when we bought the property so there is no argument, just Thais doing it the easiest way for them. Otherwise we have a similar situation here. Our electricity (and to a neighbour in a round about way) comes from the main line (on a different neighbors property) to a pole on our property and thence four other poles on our property to serve the neighbor. Apparently we own all of those poles as we needed to replace one at our expense. So be kind to your neighbor is necessary otherwise he has no electricity.

[LukKrueng]

21 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

So different areas different rules. The poles and lines were there when we bought the property so there is no argument, just Thais doing it the easiest way for them. Otherwise we have a similar situation here. Our electricity (and to a neighbour in a round about way) comes from the main line (on a different neighbors property) to a pole on our property and thence four other poles on our property to serve the neighbor. Apparently we own all of those poles as we needed to replace one at our expense. So be kind to your neighbor is necessary otherwise he has no electricity.

So it seems as your line was installed by a private constructor, but how did you get the meters from PEA? Do you get billed directly by PEA or share the bill with the last property on the official main? 

[GreasyFingers]

Just now, LukKrueng said:

So it seems as your line was installed by a private constructor, but how did you get the meters from PEA? Do you get billed directly by PEA or share the bill with the last property on the official main? 

We all have separate meters located on the PEA pole of the first neighbor. Each property has its own line on our poles (I hope).

[LukKrueng]

2 minutes ago, GreasyFingers said:

We all have separate meters located on the PEA pole of the first neighbor. Each property has its own line on our poles (I hope).

OK, that makes sense. PEA set the lines on public road to the nearest point to the property. From there to where you want the electricity you have to get it done on your own. So in your case the (previous?) Landlord got the line running on private properties with agreement of the owners. Now you want the actual PEA line to be installed at a nearest point to your property and that would have to be done by PEA and on public roads only, so they might have to go a much longer distance to get to your place

[SteveB2]

Your quote from the PEA to run 22KV at around 1 Million Baht per km sounds about right. Nothing strange there.

 

Note though, that you also need to put a transformer on a pole which will cost another 300,000 Baht for anything reasonable up to 50-100KVA.

 

Then setup a 380V distribution system.

 

For this amount of money, some sort of PV/Solar system has to be a better deal, right ?

 

[natway09]

The overall cost as quoted is about right.

A 200 KVA transformer they will want 300,000 Bht to install. It still belongs to them but you

maintain it. Just drain & filter  the oil every 2 years & recycle for 10. Cost to have done 1,500 Bht.

In Australia now it is about $400 a metre for underground (& they do not like doing it overhead). In some places not allowed overhead