Possible Power Station?

[Randell]

Has any one heard of or know about construction of a new power station being built about 20 minutes out of Chiang Rai on the road to the Waterford valley. Not far from Vien Durm. My wife says its a power station and that there have been a few protests about it already in both Vien Chai and Chiang Rai. I have seen the equipment doing the ground work when I was there last at the end January. Our village farmers are very concerned about it water and polution etc. I haven't been able to get an understanding of it due to my limited understanding of Thai. Any information would be appriciated. Randell

[villagefarang]

Don't know anything but have been watching the progress on that site every time we drive into town. Was wondering what it was. Very likely the same place. Still doing ground work for now but they sure have moved a lot of dirt. They also improved the road around there a bit.

[Randell]

Don't know anything but have been watching the progress on that site every time we drive into town. Was wondering what it was. Very likely the same place. Still doing ground work for now but they sure have moved a lot of dirt. They also improved the road around there a bit.

The wife told me that some one in our village (now very very unpopular) sold 72 rai for that project. It a very large site and some pretty major foundation, I gather if the ground work has gone on for so long. Many are very upset as they see a major water conflict in the future. Vien Durm is a very poor village of may subsistance farmer with a few big family farms but all seem to be against. There have been at least two protests in Chiang Rai town and I would guess the same or more in Vien Chai. Thanks for the update Villagefarang. Still would like to know what it is and what it is going to mean to all in the immediate area. Randell

[brahmburgers]

I too would like to know more. If it is a power station, what type of fuel, or would it be hydro?

Any new power generation should be renewable. Wind is not reliable enough up here in C.Rai (or anywhere in Thailand, for that matter), but solar would be feasible - particularly concentrated solar, as there are amazing developments going on in that field. Efficiencies are going up, costs are going down, it's truly amazing.

Sadly however, the people who make such decisions in Thailand are decades behind the curve, so there's no chance of it being solar.

Probably unrelated to the OP, but: I bicycle around the area bordering the road to Wiang Chai, about 8 Km east of C.Rai, and I've noticed a pig farmer there put in 3 large cement holding tanks underground on his property. I haven't asked him, but I suspect they're for methane production. If so, it's an encouraging wave of the future. So happens, lots of village-scaled methane producing vats are being installed in rural China (I spoke to an American who's spearheading much of that). It would be great to see it becoming common also in Thailand.

Incidentally, manure is not the only, and is not even the best product to produce methane. Best are watery/bulky fruits. Next best are watery/bulky vegetation.

Methane would be a great way to wean off of propane. Villagers could trade input (excess fruits, etc) for output (bottled methane).

[Randell]

The latest I have been able to find out is that it is a lignite plant. And if I understand the wife properly. They will also burn rice chafe and corn stocks. I am a bit unsure on that but that is what I beleive she tried to explain to me. I is a done deal as far a she and the village are concerned. There protests feel on deaf ears as usual in these cases. They are still quite upset and worried about the extra usage of limited water reasources and pollution fallout on all rice crops in the valley. After all there protests they feel ignored and feel that it was put there because they are a poor village with no proper representation. That combined with quite a few bad crops in a rows has some desperate people wondering what they will do in the situation gets worse as they fear. Randell