Thailand: Gas field maintenance disrupting power supply next month

[webfact]

Gas field maintenance disrupting power supply next month
By Digital Content



BANGKOK, Mar 20 – The Energy Ministry has mapped out measures to prevent power blackouts during the maintenance of the Bongkot gas field and Thai-Malaysian Joint Development Area (JDA) next month.

Permanent Secretary for Energy Suthep Liumsirijarern said power consumption will peak at 27,077 megawatts in late April while the Bongkot gas field will temporarily close for maintenance April 10-27.

Power consumption is estimated to reach 26,752 megawatts during April 23-24, he said, but he gave assurances that consumer power supply will not be disrupted given a reserve of 4,000 megawatts.

Mr Suthep said gas production maintenance in the Thai-Malaysian JDA from June 13-July 10 may affect the power supply in Thailand’s southern provinces as the Jana power plant in Songkhla can generate only 700 megawatts of electricity while consumption normally peaks at 2,543 megawatts during the period.

Other plants will generate about 2,300 megawatts for the South and it is possible that the South could be short by 200 megawatts during peak hours in the evening, he said.

The Energy Ministry has instructed related agencies to ensure continuous power supply in Thailand’s 14 southern provinces while the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) will have to supply additional 500 megawatts from the central region to the South.

A partial power outage may be necessary if power supply from EGAT is insufficient, said Mr Suthep, adding that a power saving campaign will be launched.

Charcrie Buranakanonda, PTT senior executive vice president in charge of the gas business unit, said PTT has reserved oil and liquefied natural gas for April.

Power production maintenance at the Thai-Malaysia JDA will affect NGV gas distribution at 14 stations in three southern provinces of Nakhon Si Thammarat, Surat Thani and Songkhla, he said.

The JDA field produces 190 tonnes of NGV per day and production will be suspended for 10 days during which supply will be reduced to 110 tonnes per day for the next 18 days.

NGV will be supplied from the central region during the maintenance but a shortage in the South could not be ruled out, he said. (MCOT online news)

-- TNA 2014-03-20

[Tatsujin]

Just a thought . . . perhaps they could schedule the maintenance next time at times when it's cooler and less electricity is needed. I know it's a bit of long-term, strategic thinking, but it can't be that hard to think ahead a little . . .

[8OA8]

Wasn't there something similar relating to the Myanmar gas supply scheduled to happen last year around that same period. As in factories were being persuaded into taking holidays to ensure the power supply to the public wasn't interrupted.....but the ship carrying the required maintenance equipment was storm bound in some far off port and the maintenance didn't go ahead as planned.

[oneday]

Just a thought . . . perhaps they could schedule the maintenance next time at times when it's cooler and less electricity is needed. I know it's a bit of long-term, strategic thinking, but it can't be that hard to think ahead a little . . .

No, I disagree, it is eminently clear they have no concept of how to plan using logic and just a few tiny brain cells. Humm, less energy demand...do maintenance in Nov-Jan...wow, what a novel idea.

You said it before me Tatsujin.

[zappalot]

Last year they had the same issue with gas supply from Myanmar.

Didn't they learn anything? How stupid is this to undergo maintenance work when demand is at its very peak?

[Soutpeel]

Just a thought . . . perhaps they could schedule the maintenance next time at times when it's cooler and less electricity is needed. I know it's a bit of long-term, strategic thinking, but it can't be that hard to think ahead a little . . .

No, I disagree, it is eminently clear they have no concept of how to plan using logic and just a few tiny brain cells. Humm, less energy demand...do maintenance in Nov-Jan...wow, what a novel idea.

You said it before me Tatsujin.

It's eminently clear that "they" only have marginally tinier brain cells than you

what happens over this period in Thailand ?

everyone buggers off on holiday for over a week, factories are closed therefore electricity demand in reduced to most likely the lowest level through out the whole year for quite a large portion of this planned shut down, so it seems to me a great deal of logic is applied, if by shutting down the whole of the Bongkot field results in a possible shortage of 200MW, they have done execeptionally well to minimise shortages, considering the size of this shut in.

Oh and look, TV finest farang Thai experts are always saying that nothing is maintained in Thailand, Thai's dont know the concept of maintenance etc etc...and here we are.... a planned maintenance period, but still the whinging continues

[Tatsujin]

Just a thought . . . perhaps they could schedule the maintenance next time at times when it's cooler and less electricity is needed. I know it's a bit of long-term, strategic thinking, but it can't be that hard to think ahead a little . . .

No, I disagree, it is eminently clear they have no concept of how to plan using logic and just a few tiny brain cells. Humm, less energy demand...do maintenance in Nov-Jan...wow, what a novel idea.

You said it before me Tatsujin.

It's eminently clear that "they" only have marginally tinier brain cells than you

what happens over this period in Thailand ?

everyone buggers off on holiday for over a week, factories are closed therefore electricity demand in reduced to most likely the lowest level through out the whole year for quite a large portion of this planned shut down, so it seems to me a great deal of logic is applied, if by shutting down the whole of the Bongkot field results in a possible shortage of 200MW, they have done execeptionally well to minimise shortages, considering the size of this shut in.

Oh and look, TV finest farang Thai experts are always saying that nothing is maintained in Thailand, Thai's dont know the concept of maintenance etc etc...and here we are.... a planned maintenance period, but still the whinging continues

Did you read a different article to me? lol

Yes, Songkran, when everyone buggers off on holiday and domestic consumption increases considerably. That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

[Soutpeel]

That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

Really ?...

[Tatsujin]

That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

Really ?...

March/April/May appear to be the high points of electricity consumption with Dec/Jan being the lowest:

http://www2.bot.or.th/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=108&language=eng

EDIT: I will say the figures don't show as large a variation over the different months as I expected and we'd have to take into account new factories, malls, homes etc to determine an average.

Edited March 20, 2014 by Tatsujin

[zappalot]

That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

Really ?...

Soutpeel, Your logic fit perfectly into this country.

Whilst in December and January energy consumption is just above 12,000 million kilowatt hours the consumption is more than 14,000 million kilowatt hours in April and you say "most likely the lowest level through out the whole year".

In the article it also say's that peak is in the evening hours. Did you read that? That's not when production is at the peak, that's when people come home. And not only more and more people cooking with electricity but all the people coming home switching on the air conditioning.

But all that would be logical thinking, as we see in another thread that is not everyone's number one task to perform…

[Credo]

I think the area with the gas fields are subject to some very bad weather in Dec/Jan. I would guess that perhaps April is the best month and it is before the rainy season begins further north.

[h90]

That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

Really ?...

Soutpeel, Your logic fit perfectly into this country.

Whilst in December and January energy consumption is just above 12,000 million kilowatt hours the consumption is more than 14,000 million kilowatt hours in April and you say "most likely the lowest level through out the whole year".

In the article it also say's that peak is in the evening hours. Did you read that? That's not when production is at the peak, that's when people come home. And not only more and more people cooking with electricity but all the people coming home switching on the air conditioning.

But all that would be logical thinking, as we see in another thread that is not everyone's number one task to perform…

I didn't expect that, but I can imagine that some of the big user never shut down, or?

And shopping centers with huge aircons, may use more than some factories. Our big ugly CNC lathes don't use a lot electric in compare to an AC running full speed. And some electric BBQ easily takes 2000 Watt, to make some bread warm.

It is surprising me, but it sounds logic...

[soalbundy]

Just a thought . . . perhaps they could schedule the maintenance next time at times when it's cooler and less electricity is needed. I know it's a bit of long-term, strategic thinking, but it can't be that hard to think ahead a little . . .

This is Thailand Tatsujin, the size of the wallet counts here not the brain size

[Soutpeel]

That will far outweigh the consumption from the factories that are closed down.

Really ?...

March/April/May appear to be the high points of electricity consumption with Dec/Jan being the lowest:

http://www2.bot.or.th/statistics/ReportPage.aspx?reportID=108&language=eng

EDIT: I will say the figures don't show as large a variation over the different months as I expected and we'd have to take into account new factories, malls, homes etc to determine an average.

The other thing, is that this data is from EGAT only, some "factories" take their gas directly from supply ie they have their own "power stations", which doesnt seem to be included, or the other producers eg the likes of "GLOW"

Re-reading what I have written, was written very badly with reference to the electrical demand, and I was being quite flippent

what I should have written is that over all gas demand over around mid-April is at its lowest point in the year, reducing from about +/-3800 MMscf/day to around +/-2700 MMscf/day and peak reduced demand is over the Songkran period. Hence the reason shut downs are planned for this period, and suppose the same rational was applied in Burma last year.