Thai coal plants seen as way to cut dependence on natural gas

[webfact]

Coal plants seen as way to cut dependence on natural gas
JINTANA PANYAARVUDH,
PICHAYA CHANGSORN
THE NATION

BANGKOK: -- TWO coal-fired power plants planned for Krabi and Songkhla's Thepha district are a crucial part of the national energy strategy to diversify power generation options, as well as reduce electricity costs and enhancing energy-supply security, a senior Energy Ministry official said last week.

Twarath Sutabutr, head of the Energy Policy and Planning Office, said the latest Power Development Plan (PDP-2015) - recently approved by the government - was designed to tackle imbalances inherited from the previous plan.

This includes lowering projected national electricity demand and the country's dependency on natural gas for power generation, he said. Although the national power reserve is projected to continue to provide 30-per-cent surplus capacity over the next 10 years, even with the revised PDP, the country needed to proceed with the coal-fired power plants planned for Krabi and Thepha, in Songkhla province for the sake of diversifying national energy sources and a secure supply of power for the South, he said.

Without the planned power stations, electricity demand in the South was forecast to top the combined capacity of power plants in the region from 2020.

Further, the average electricity tariff for the next 15 years would be cut to Bt4.587 per kilowatt hour under PDP-2015, from more than Bt5 in the previous plan, if the two plants, which would run on coal imported from abroad, go ahead, Twarath said.

Having other types of power plants that don't run on natural gas would help cut imports of liquefied natural gas (LNG), which is more expensive.

The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat) has proposed both plants, but faces strong objections from local communities and environmentalists. Plus the tourism sector, which is a lifeblood of the south, fears negative impacts from the coal-fired power stations.

Twarath said that without the plants, the region would face a higher risk of power supply being unstable, as it would have to depend more on electricity transmitted from the central region, if alternate sources weren't created.

"There would be a risk in the event of power supply not being able to come in from the central region, as has occurred in the past," he said, citing an incident in 2013 when lightning struck one of the two main transmission circuits linking the central and southern regions, causing a blackout in the 14 southern provinces. But Egat is building two extra transmission circuits to link the two regions, which will help strengthen supply security for the South.

Twarath said if the Krabi and Thepha coal-fired projects could not be developed, the best option might be to build LNG floating facilities in the Gulf or on the Andaman Sea, to supply natural gas to existing or new gas plants in the south.

PDP-2015 aims to reduce the country's reliance on natural gas as fuel for electricity generation from 64 per cent this year to 37 per cent at the end of the plan in 2036, while increasing the contribution of other fuels - especially imported coal and renewable energy - from 10 per cent to 17 per cent, and from 7 per cent to 18 per cent, respectively.

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/business/Coal-plants-seen-as-way-to-cut-dependence-on-natur-30272989.html

-- The Nation 2015-11-16

[aussieinthailand]

Was there not a post two weeks or so on TVF that natural gas was discovered in Khon Kean and the deposit was far more than the country currently uses to generate electricity ???

So why build 2 new coal fired power stations???

[selftaopath]

Yeaaaaa mimic "mother China" see the by-product of burning coal.

Isn't natural gas clean, efficient, cheap and can be used to operate vehicles vie LPG? How about solar power? Seems like that might be something Thailand would strongly consider.

So who will benefit from this move? LOL Need I ask? lol Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Thailand.... lost cause.

[SABloke]

Wow...coal...how very 20th century

[starky]

Good old Thailand just moving further and further forward into the dark ages...Coal you dick heads

[oneday]

Coal plants seen as way to cut dependence on natural gas

...and increase pollution...way to go Thailand.

[waldroj]

Egad Egat! A cheap and nasty solution that the tourists will love.

[AyG]

Probably a safer option than having a Chinese-made, Thai-operated nuclear power plant.

[dominique355]

... and coal grows in rice fields?

[jaywalker]

Egad Egat! A cheap and nasty solution that the tourists will love.

Cheap? The price of LNG is at a historical low right now!

[eliotness]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

[Chang_paarp]

Yeaaaaa mimic "mother China" see the by-product of burning coal.

Isn't natural gas clean, efficient, cheap and can be used to operate vehicles vie LPG? How about solar power? Seems like that might be something Thailand would strongly consider.

So who will benefit from this move? LOL Need I ask? lol Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh Thailand.... lost cause.

China is moving away from coal much to the shagrin of many Australian coal miners. They are currently investing in renewables so they can meet demand without having to import.

[LukDod]

Ah, more coal plants....

Just another forward thinking plan by the government ;-)

It will add to the annual rice field burnings as the politicians

solution to help reduce carbon emissions!

[AyG]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

Thailand has coal mines in the north. Thai companies also own coal mines in Indonesia and China (and possibly elsewhere).

[skildpadden]

Yeah you shouldn't be dependent on a cleaner alternative. Some good old coal plants is what we like here in Thailand, as we are getting ready for the industrial revolution. Such a shame the rest of the world moved forward since then.

There so many other cleaner energy resources available for a country in the tropics: wind, solar, hydro plants and natural gas as well - and yet you opt for one of the most polluting energy sources available. Morons.

[X pat]

Thank goodness I live in the issan,we have gas like a lot of the government leaders.

[sawadee1947]

if stupidiness would hurt.....they would cry the whole day...

[eliotness]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

Thailand has coal mines in the north. Thai companies also own coal mines in Indonesia and China (and possibly elsewhere).

Thanks for the info, but it seems your info is slightly dated as all the major mines have recently closed due to depletion of resources, ie the coals running out. The companies involved are, as you say involved in mines in Indonesia and China and recently Laos and Australia. So I guess they are rather more "multinationals" than Thai.

But whatever their ownership nationality it means virtually all coal will need to be imported, that's surely a double whammy in anyone's book. Not a smart move Mr PM sir.

[elgordo38]

Yeah you shouldn't be dependent on a cleaner alternative. Some good old coal plants is what we like here in Thailand, as we are getting ready for the industrial revolution. Such a shame the rest of the world moved forward since then.

There so many other cleaner energy resources available for a country in the tropics: wind, solar, hydro plants and natural gas as well - and yet you opt for one of the most polluting energy sources available. Morons.

Yes there is clean coal technology but it requires a lot of maintainence a foreign word here.

[Time Traveller]

Great idea, soon Thailand will have air like in Beijing

[HerbalEd]

Nooooo! Natural gas is supposed to cut dependency on coal.

[Narratio]

The rest of the world moves from burning Coal to burning Gas thus reducing, or at least not increasing, pollution levels from power generation.

Thailand, in a fit of 'Thainess', decides to go the other way.

.

Yep, it's Monday.

[Srikcir]

A common key to any nation's energy security is to minimize purchased energy and imported fuels. This latest plan provides for just the opposite - more reliance on foreign supported energy.

The current government's approach to an enegy plan is simplistic and almost naive: focus on energy production. As industrial nations have discovered, conservation of energy is also a key factor to energy independence. Nowhere have I seen this aspect even mentioned in any energy strategy up to and including the current administration.

[UKCanuk]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

Thailand has coal mines in the north. Thai companies also own coal mines in Indonesia and China (and possibly elsewhere).

A subsidiary of EGAT I believe. All very incestuous to be sure, but this is Thailand.

[timber]

In the next five years there will be some very serious global pressure to avoid the direction Thailand is going in. So may turn into a negative investment.

[mmh8]

there is no reason why coal is any worse than other fuels. ok nat gas is less polluting than other fossil fuels. However it still produces co2, methane the major component of nat gas is one of the worst greenhouse gases.

on a $ to $ basis, coal fired may well be cheaper

the emissions made in constructing any of these plants is massive, just as nuclear produces significant co2 emissions in its construction, wind you've got to look at the construction and life cycle, simialrly solar, are they haeavy metals photovoltaics? how much energy is reqruied to process that silicon? how long before you get returns on that energy/co2 cost in processing silicon? how easy do they break?

[eliotness]

there is no reason why coal is any worse than other fuels. ok nat gas is less polluting than other fossil fuels. However it still produces co2, methane the major component of nat gas is one of the worst greenhouse gases.on a $ to $ basis, coal fired may well be cheaperthe emissions made in constructing any of these plants is massive, just as nuclear produces significant co2 emissions in its construction, wind you've got to look at the construction and life cycle, simialrly solar, are they haeavy metals photovoltaics? how much energy is reqruied to process that silicon? how long before you get returns on that energy/co2 cost in processing silicon? how easy do they break?

A good post, but I'd like to add a few points, if I may. The emissions from the burning of coal include many other chemicals apart from CO2 and H2O, such as SOx and NOx (which cause acid rain) and also particulate matter (smoke). Natural gas doesn't produce as much of these, but it doesn't always give a "clean burn". CH4 is also present in coal, hence the risk of fire and explosion in coal mines. Opencast mining removes that problem by simply letting any volatile or gaseous carbon compounds vent to the atmosphere. Burning natural gas captures all volatiles and gases therein and (hopefully) ensures a complete burn, so CH4 release should not really happen.

Also in all of these processes the need to consider waste disposal is important. The cost with nuclear is huge, coal produces ash, the quantity depending on the quality of coal burnt. No one has yet fully estimated the disposal cost associated with wind power, especially for the huge off-shore windfarms recently built (where recycling may be difficult) and their life-spans. Similar problems may arise with solar cells and again a robust recycling regime has yet to be decided by governments.

[billd766]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

Thailand has coal mines in the north. Thai companies also own coal mines in Indonesia and China (and possibly elsewhere).

Thanks for the info, but it seems your info is slightly dated as all the major mines have recently closed due to depletion of resources, ie the coals running out. The companies involved are, as you say involved in mines in Indonesia and China and recently Laos and Australia. So I guess they are rather more "multinationals" than Thai.

But whatever their ownership nationality it means virtually all coal will need to be imported, that's surely a double whammy in anyone's book. Not a smart move Mr PM sir.

Are you sure?

According to the 2010 BP Statistical Energy Survey, Thailand had end 2009 coal reserves of 1354 million tonnes, 0.16% of the world total.

http://www.mbendi.com/indy/ming/coal/as/th/p0005.htm

Thailand is a significant producer of lignite, which is used almost exclusively for power generation. Total national lignite production is around 21 Mt/y. The country currently also imports some 5-6 Mt/y of bituminous coal and some coke for industrial use. The 2,400 MW lignite-fired Mae Moh power plant is the largest source of electricity in the country, generating around 13% of Thailand’s electric power production, and also one of the largest point sources of atmospheric pollution in Southeast Asia. The total cost of the project has been estimated at US$1.3 billion, and US$1.1 billion has been received in debt financing from a consortium of financing institutions. Construction began during 2003 and is scheduled for completion in 2006. The project will rely on imported coal. Banpu's mines in Thailand and Indonesia currently have a combined capacity to produce 14.5 Mt/y, with a reserve base of 170 Mt and resources of 139 Mt.

[eliotness]

Sorry if I missed it in the article, but where will the coal come from ?

Thailand has coal mines in the north. Thai companies also own coal mines in Indonesia and China (and possibly elsewhere).

Thanks for the info, but it seems your info is slightly dated as all the major mines have recently closed due to depletion of resources, ie the coals running out. The companies involved are, as you say involved in mines in Indonesia and China and recently Laos and Australia. So I guess they are rather more "multinationals" than Thai.

But whatever their ownership nationality it means virtually all coal will need to be imported, that's surely a double whammy in anyone's book. Not a smart move Mr PM sir.

Are you sure?

According to the 2010 BP Statistical Energy Survey, Thailand had end 2009 coal reserves of 1354 million tonnes, 0.16% of the world total.

http://www.mbendi.com/indy/ming/coal/as/th/p0005.htm

Thailand is a significant producer of lignite, which is used almost exclusively for power generation. Total national lignite production is around 21 Mt/y. The country currently also imports some 5-6 Mt/y of bituminous coal and some coke for industrial use. The 2,400 MW lignite-fired Mae Moh power plant is the largest source of electricity in the country, generating around 13% of Thailands electric power production, and also one of the largest point sources of atmospheric pollution in Southeast Asia. The total cost of the project has been estimated at US$1.3 billion, and US$1.1 billion has been received in debt financing from a consortium of financing institutions. Construction began during 2003 and is scheduled for completion in 2006. The project will rely on imported coal. Banpu's mines in Thailand and Indonesia currently have a combined capacity to produce 14.5 Mt/y, with a reserve base of 170 Mt and resources of 139 Mt.

I googled "coal in thailand" and I got onto the BANPU web site and it stated that their mining operations in Thailand had ceased. The web page is dated 2015 so therefore is up to date.

Edited November 17, 2015 by eliotness

[EyesWideOpen]

Tough call for Thailand.....

1. Have to lick the boots of Myanmar so they do not turn off the gas pipelines to Thailand which

would instantly cripple the country

2. Build coal plants that will poison millions of people like China

3. Build a nuclear plant that will blow up somewhere down the road due to crap maintenance

and corruption kickbacks.

Decisions, decisions........some days I actually feel sorry for Thailand.