Energy Ministry confident of managing excess

BANGKOK: THE ENERGY Ministry plans to manage the problem of excess power reserves in accordance with the Power Development Plan (PDP) 2015.

In the long term, the power reserve can be maintained at no more than 15 per cent of maximum electricity demand in the latter stage of the PDP. For the 2019-24 period, the excess power reserve can be alleviated by selling electricity to Myanmar on a grid-to-grid basis.

According to Energy Ministry deputy permanent secretary Chavalit Pichalai, the power reserve during the middle stage of PDP 2015 (2019-2024) should average about 36-39 per cent. The excess reserve can be attributed to the 100-per-cent attainment of the efficient energy policy (EEP) target, which was initially set at only 20 per cent in the PDP 2010 (revision 3). During the preparation of the PDP 2015, Thailand's economic growth declined. Therefore the power-demand projection had to be revised down as well from the target under the PDP 2010 (revision 3), from 70,686 megawatts in 2030 to 70,335MW in 2036 during the latter stage of PDP 2015.

According to PDP 2015, from 2026 onwards, the power reserve will gradually decline to normalcy of about 15 per cent of maximum demand.

Throughout PDP 2015, the Energy Ministry will maintain an uninterrupted power supply to support the country's economic growth on a sustainable long-term basis. If growth next year improves as projected by the National Economic and Social Development Board, power demand will also rise accordingly.

Chavalit said the ministry was preparing to distribute power via transmission lines to Myanmar. That country's power demand is expected to grow along with its economy. Thailand will invest in the construction of the |power-transmission lines to distribute electricity from western Thailand to Myanmar. On the other hand, Thailand can also buy electricity from Thai-invested power plants in Myanmar should the Kingdom need additional power in the future.

Full story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Energy-Ministry-confident-of-managing-excess-30272463.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-07

This is the first I've heard of excess power reserves apart from EGAT's standard 15% reserve margin, ie., for sudden plant shutdown. The current and previous governments have planned the construction of new fossil-fired, and several renewable energy power plants to meet growing energy demand. This also includes importing power from Laos and Myanmar.

If Thailand can buy electricity from Thai-invested power plants in Myanmar and Laos should the Kingdom need additional power, it can also cut back from importing power from Myanmar and Laos. The government can also consider storing excess energy reserves with mechanical devices. In addition to battery storage electrical energy can be transformed into magnetic, hydraulic or thermal energy for on-demand retrieval. These strategies provide energy security.