Egat Plans To Use Coal As Alternative Fuel To Natural Gas

[Jai Dee]

EGAT plans to use coal as alternative fuel to natural gas in the future

Coal will become alternative fuel to natural gas in power production in the future.

Norkhun Sitthipong (ณอคุณ สิทธิพงษ์), chairman of the board of the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), said EGAT will campaign in communities close to power plants to make them understand that there is now “clean coal” which is low sulfur dioxide and so it is not hazardous to health.

Mr. Norkhun said EGAT should have a draft 15-year power plant development plan in two months.

The plan gives details on which power plant will use what fuel at what amount, he said.

Source: Thai National News Bureau Public Relations Department - 27 July 2006

[chownah]

So, now coal is "alternative energy".....that means it must be good....right?

[jimbob]

Weird innit? In the 80's in the UK gas become the alternative to evil, smokey, unionised old coal. Now the role is reversed!

[sbk]

Coal, are they serious? Although it certainly is an alternative it is hardly an "alternative energy" source. Why don't they try solar or wind? Just a tad cleaner than coal.

[thedude]

any growing economy needs to have a diversified energy plan, which will ideally lower risks (e.g. operatonal, pricing, safety, environmental) by using a variety of different fuel sources and a variety of technology - thermal, hydro, geothermal, nuclear etc. almost every energy source has its pros and cons. coal has been used for a long time and it is true that some coal sources are 'cleaner' than others, but of course more expensive.

european nations have the luxury of employing nuclear technology, hence lowering reliance on other more poluting thermal sources. assuming of course that thailand can navigate the complex international political landscape successfully to obtain nuclear technology, it still has to grapple with extremely high waste management standards to safely deploy the technology - the cost of treating nuclear waste is added substantially to the price of electricity.

solar power is extremely costly and inefficient to use on a large enough scale to be able to supplement our national power needs. the impact of its use on the unit price of energy per kilowatt hour we might as well ship in additional gas supplies. but then again, over-reliance on any one source of fuel will place higher pricing risk on the national grid. who is going to bear the additional cost of price hedging?

its an extremely complicating issue and not quite as straight-forward as some people might imagine. we shouldn't be jumping into sensational conclusions from one news report.

Edited July 27, 2006 by thedude

[naka]

Coal, are they serious? Although it certainly is an alternative it is hardly an "alternative energy" source. Why don't they try solar or wind? Just a tad cleaner than coal.

So you would be quite happy to pay 30 Baht a unit, rather than the 3 1/2 Baht you

pay now if they converted Koh Phangan over to solar/wind.

Just a tad dearer !

Naka.

[astral]

there is now “clean coal” which is low sulphur dioxide and so it is not hazardous to health.

Number ONE how much will it cost to convert the power stations to burn coal, not gas or oil?

Number TWO who will check they are burning the clean coal?

I bet the dirty stuff is cheaper.

[Martin]

I am deeply disappointed that a news report of a press release (or a speech) by the Chairman of EGAT didn't mention the biggest need of all regarding the electricity supply industry, which is simply to persuade its customers to use less.

Either this press release (or speech), or the reporting of it, is remiss in not reminding all the readers of the fundamental fact of the decline in reserves of all fossil fuels. And the decline can only be slowed by us starting to have a bit of thrift.

Our grandchildren will curse us that we burnt in power stations the coal, oil and gas that they will be bereft of to make the materials they will need. (And it will be 'need', not mere 'would like to have'.)

We have been the luckiest generation in terms of living luxuriously, but are turning into the guiltiest generation in terms of being profligate with what should be left for future generations.