Faced with a lack of energy options, Thailand looks to coal
The world's dirtiest fuel may be the country's best hope to ensure future energy security.
from the April 5, 2007 edition
Page 2 of 3
Learning lessons from Malaysia
Five years ago in Malaysia, policymakers faced the same problem. At that time, nearly three-quarters of the Muslim state's electricity came from natural gas.
Kuala Lumpur then shifted towards coal-fired power plants, and now coal is slated to generate half of the country's power by 2030 – a remarkable increase from just 6 percent in 2002.
The move shows the increasing strategic importance of coal, which is plentiful and relatively cheap compared to gas.
Two-thirds of future global coal demand will come from energy-hungry China and India, and the US plans to boost power generation from coal to 57 percent by 2030 from 50 percent now.
Energy officials in Bangkok have drawn up no less than nine 15-year plans to add between 27,000 and 36,790 megawatts to the grid by 2021. All of the plans call for the use of coal and nuclear energy, with coal set to generate between 2,100 and 21,000 megawatts, while nuclear power would account for about 4,000 megawatts in every plan.
But any decision to build more coal-fired power plants – or even a nuclear plant – will likely take some political muscle, which the military-installed government is sorely lacking after months of missteps.
The first public hearing for the 15-year plan was canceled after 600 protestors from rural areas blocked the entrance to the meeting place. The second hearing, held this week at a military conference center, went off without a hitch.
Thailand's prior experience with coal has put the fossil fuel on the environmental hit list.
In the northern province of Lampang, the dirty lignite-fuelled Mae Moh power plant has been linked to hundreds of deaths and respiratory problems among local villagers.
Those troubles led villagers four years ago in the coastal province of Prachuap Khiri Khan to successfully kill plans by two companies to build coal-fired power plants – forcing them to switch to gas-fired plants and move to another province.
"It's extremely difficult to find a place to build a coal-fired plant because it's subject to much opposition," Mr. Norkhun says. "But I think we can do it if we provide the right incentives."
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